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A "happy, bubbly" teenage boy has died after a fire ripped through a property in the New South Wales Hunter Valley region.
Jack Bajric, 16, was killed in the fire on Alkira Avenue in Cessnock.
Emergency services were called to the blaze at 10pm yesterday.
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Fire officers in breathing gear managed to get Jack out, but paramedics couldn't save him.
A family member who didn't want to be named said Jack was severely autistic.
They said he was "a gorgeous boy with a great big smile."
"He was a happy, bubbly little soul and loved life and absolutely loved the water," they added.
The family member said a pillow caught fire from an inside heater that Jack was sleeping in front of in the lounge room.
Jack's nine-year old sister Tylah managed to escape with help from a 14 year-old friend.
His mother arrived at the scene later and was comforted by neighbours.
It was three degrees overnight in Cessnock and Jack had been huddling near a heater.
Fire and Rescue NSW Duty Commander James Downey said it was a "very chaotic scene."
"Members of the public were trying to help but there was a lot of flame exiting the house," Downey said.
Fire crews suggested there wasn't a working smoke alarm in the house.
