The mother of a toddler who died in a unit fire in southern NSW was heard screaming during the blaze, witnesses say.
The one-year-old girl was killed while a three-year-old boy and a woman, 22, were rescued from the fire in Queanbeyan on Monday afternoon.
The survivors have been taken to Canberra Hospital where the 22-year-old remains in a serious condition while the boy is in a stable condition.
"I tried to kick down the door and I could hear [the mother] screaming inside that she couldn't find her little baby girl," neighbour Kenny Cameron told ABC News.
"There was black toxic smoke bellowing out."
Elizabeth Bildin, who lives across the road, said she heard screaming inside the unit.
"I was terrified," she told Fairfax Media.
Fire and Rescue NSW Inspector Luke Unsworth said it was lucky anyone got out alive.
"I've just visited the unit and had a look through, and it is immediately obvious to anyone who goes in there the intensity of the fire," he told Fairfax Media.
Three police were treated for smoke inhalation.
The cause of the fire remains a mystery and a report will be prepared for the coroner.
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