A MOAMA family has been left shattered after its Kinsey St home was destroyed by fire this morning.
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A woman told the Riv her son lived in the rented home with his partner and four children, aged five, seven, nine and 11.
"My son was here alone as his partner was at work and their children were at school," she said.
"He went out to get a coffee and came back and the house is on fire and the dog took off.
"He ran inside and I don't know what he thought he was going to do but realised it was too bad and phoned 000.
"It was very frightening for him. And a bad time of the year, just before Christmas.
"The kids will be upset when they find out.
"I live in Kyabram so they'll probably have to come and stay with me.
"I'm just thankful it didn't happen through the night.".
Moama firefighters were called to the Kinsey St property about 9.30am where they found the front two rooms well alight.
"A bedroom and a games room with a TV are pretty well gone," Moama NSW Fire and Rescue captain Toby Teasdale said.
"The back half - where there is a main bedroom and a couple of little rooms - has been saved, which is lucky."
It took volunteers about an hour to control the fire, which Mr Teasdale said had started in the kitchen area near the hot water service and spread to the roof.
"They had been having trouble with the power and the downlights recently and there was no insulation in the ceiling," he said.
"Once it gets into the roof, there's just no saving it. We were lucky to save what we did."
He said while the tenants did not have insurance, the owner of the house did.
Murray River Police District Inspector Paul Huggett said damage to the house was estimated to be about $350,000.
A nearby resident captured footage of the fire being extinguished on his drone.
"I walked out of my house and saw the fire," he said.
"I put up my drone but because had been out at work, I only had half a battery so I only managed to get about 28 seconds."
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