THIS is the shocking moment a £14million waterfront mansion in Sydney burned to the ground – less than a year after a new owner bought it.
Originally built in 1915, the 53,820 sq ft estate reportedly boasted six bedrooms, a tennis court, its own orchard and a boatshed.
Dozens of firefighters raced to the harbourside mansion shortly before 11pm on Saturday night after reports of an explosion in the carport.
Four neighbouring properties were evacuated as the firefighters struggled to get the blaze under control.
Witness Wayne Rigney told 9 News: "It was quite apocalyptic, it was a huge firestorm and it raged for about 40 to 50 minutes."
The mansion was unoccupied at the time and authorities are now investigating the cause of the fire.
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The estate had reportedly been bought by one of the biggest land owners in the area in November for a whopping £14million.
In a statement, the fire and rescue service said the home was "totally destroyed".
"More than 50 firefighters took just under an hour to control the fire which had engulfed the home, causing the roof and other parts of the home to collapse," a spokesperson said.
"Crews were able to stop the blaze from spreading to neighbouring properties.
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"One crew remained on site overnight to ensure the fire was completely extinguished and there were no reignitions."
Mary and Theo Rossi bought the home in 1961 before their children sold it last year.
Mary, a TV pioneer and travel business owner, lived there until she died at the age of 95 last year, Daily Mail Australia reports.
She raised 10 children in the house with Theo, who died in 2010.
Their daughter Emma Rossi, 55, lives just 300 metres away from the mansion and was walking her dog when she saw the smoke.
She said: "I came home, took the dog back and ran out and told my husband 'oh my God the family home is on fire'."
Emma said the last family gathering at the house was in December, as the sale contract was being settled.
"We were obviously devastated," she said.
"The home has so many happy memories for us and for the wider community, our friends.
"It was a place of gathering and represented community and fun and family. It's a loss not to just us but the community I think.
"It's more than just a family house burning down.
"It is a representation of family and what that means."
Edward Wright, 26, who was Mary's live-in carer from 2015 to 2020, said the house had "stunning" views.
"It was an amazing house. There was a very old sandstone balcony," he said.
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"She had a great big library – and the living room, lounge room area was a big open room basically.
"The gardens were amazing as well. They spent about £17,000 a year on gardens."
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