A Bellambi boy who tried in vain to save his family’s workshop from an unexplained fire blames himself for the blaze, his father says.
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Up to 90 aquarium fish perished when fire broke out in the converted garage of a Lorking Street property Wednesday afternoon.
With his father not yet home and his mother out collecting his sister, twelve-year-old Aaron Hamilton was the only one at home.
Aaron is a keen fishkeeper, with a particular penchant for longfin bristlenoses and African cichlids. He kept tanks of the fish in his bedroom and in the workshop.
“He’s very distraught. He’s blaming himself because he was here at home and he couldn’t fix the problem."
“He started off with guppies; worked his way up to cichlids,” Aaron’s father Stephen said. “Then he traded his cichlids to get other fish. He’s been bettering himself.”
Aaron dialled triple-zero about 4.25pm, prompting four fire trucks to converge on the street. Firefighters arrived to find the fibro garage beyond saving.
Neighbours reported seeing a distraught boy out the front, saying: “dad’s going to kill me”.
Authorities are investigating the possibility that an electric scooter left charging could have started the blaze.
According to Mr Hamilton, Aaron plugged the scooter in just before he went inside the house. There were also candles in the shed, but the family is convinced these were not the cause.
Mr Hamilton said an assessor had determined the hottest part of the fire had surrounded the scooter, while some items nearest to the candles were untouched by the flames.
A spokeswoman for NSW Fire and Rescue said the fire was not considered suspicious.
Mr Hamilton offered thanks to neighbours who “came from far and wide to help”. He said he was far from mad at his son.
“He’s blaming himself because he was here at home and he couldn’t fix the problem,” he said.
“But his actions probably caused the house to be saved.
“He rang triple-zero and got the fire extinguisher from the house. I think his actions are commendable and he did everything that he could and it’s by no means his fault.”