A man has sustained burns and smoke inhalation after a fierce fire tore through a building in the Wollongong suburb of Cringila on Thursday afternoon.
The blaze rapidly engulfed a small structure on McGovern Street, believed to be a shed or granny flat, with emergency services rushing to the scene shortly after the first triple zero call was made at 2pm on May 7.
At least 12 firefighters from Fire and Rescue NSW crews across the Illawarra region worked tirelessly to bring the fire under control. A ladder platform truck from Wollongong was also deployed to assist in the operation.
NSW Ambulance crews, including intensive care paramedics, treated a man in his 50s at the scene. He suffered burns to his head and smoke inhalation and is expected to be transported to Wollongong Hospital for further assessment.
A rescue helicopter has been placed on standby to meet the ambulance at the hospital and, if necessary, airlift the man to a specialist burns unit in Sydney.
Power to the property has been switched off as a precaution while fire crews continue to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading to neighbouring buildings.
The cause of the fire remains unknown at this stage, and investigations are ongoing.
Emergency services remain at the scene, and further updates will be provided as more information becomes available.
