A woman has died and a man and two boys aged nine and 10 have been hospitalised after their house was gutted by fire in Orange, in the NSW central tablelands.
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The older boy was transferred to the Children's Hospital at Westmead and remains in a critical condition after being treated for smoke inhalation.
Emergency crews were called to a home on Pimpala Place just before 6am on Saturday morning after a blaze broke out.
Firefighters arrived at the property to find the house in flames amid reports there were people still inside.
Rescue crews entered the home under "intense fire conditions", rescuing the two children from the blaze, Fire and Rescue NSW said.
The man was able to escape the fire without help, but the body of the missing woman was found after the fire was put out.
NSW Police said the man suffered burns after trying to re-enter the home, while the two children were treated by paramedics for smoke inhalation.
All three were transferred to nearby Orange Base Hospital where the man remains in a serious but stable condition.
One of the boys is also in a stable condition at the hospital while the other was transferred to Sydney's Westmead for further treatment.
All four people are believed to be from the same family.
Police and fire investigators are looking into the cause of the incident.
Fire and Rescue NSW superintendent Adam Dewberry said he couldn't comment on the details surrounding the Orange house fire, but everyone should ensure they had a working smoke alarm fitted in all levels of their homes.
Australian Associated Press
