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An Army veteran who lost everything in a house fire including his three cats in Sydney's south-west earlier this week is now working to put his life back together.
Adrian Rees, 43, lost his home in an inferno at Currans Hill on Sunday night.
His housemate and her boyfriend managed to narrowly escape with their pet rats, however, Mr Rees' cats – Gary, Garfield and Ghost – all perished in the fire.
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Mr Rees' ex-wife Kristie Tinnion told 9News.com.au he escaped with nothing but the clothes on his back, and his only surviving animal, a Kelpie named Ally.
"We actually live 30 metres away, one of our neighbours rang the doorbell and we've gone out and the house was completely ablaze," she said.
"He's absolutely devastated, his cats meant every to him."
Mr Rees had served 16 years in the Army and had toured Afghanistan and East Timor before being medically discharged.
He had developed PTSD along with various other health and his cats had become his unofficial "support animals", Ms Tinnion said.
Jade Rees told 9News.com.au she watched her dad risk his own life as he desperately tried to save his cats.
"After checking on our dog in the backyard he ran around the back of the house and used one of the yard chairs to break his bedroom window because he knew that's where the cats usually lay," she said.
"One of our neighbour's grabbed him and physically stopped him from back going into the house.
"Not long after my neighbour had pulled my dad out the roof of the house collapsed."
She said firefighters located the cats after the blaze was extinguished. All three died from smoke inhalation.
"He's heartbroken. He keeps asking himself what he could have done differently," she said.
The blaze destroyed the house, leaving behind nothing but rubble and charred debris with Mr Rees staying in temporary accommodation through the Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA).
His family have now launched an online crowdfunding page to help him get back on his feet, which has so far raised more than $5,000.
"Adrian was a renter, he had been living off the disability pension through the DVA and was unable to afford contents insurance," Ms Tinnion said.
"He has nothing, he has no furniture, no appliances, just the clothes on his back."
Ms Tinnion said the support from the community has been amazing.
"Everyone in the community knew who Adrian was after one of the cats went missing, because Adrian told them Gary was his best friend," she said.
"The whole neighbourhood helped look for him."
She said people have already offered clothing and kitchen appliances but any little bit will do.
"I cant imagine what Adrian is going through. I don't know where you go from losing everything," she said.
"Where do you start? It's absolutely unimaginable."
