The daughter of a man who lost everything in a bushfire in Northern NSW has been left speechless after learning the fires may have been deliberately lit.

83-year-old John Duncan escaped a fire that destroyed his Rappville home, with the help of his daughter and her mobile phone.

Newcastle City Councillor Carol Duncan had been monitoring the fire situation online when her father told her he and his partner, Cass, would take shelter in a metal shed at their home.

Ms Duncan posted a reply to NSW RFS Twitter page, alerting them of her father’s vulnerability.

I’m safe, but my Dad is 83, unwell, hiding in his shed (opposite the school) – distressed. I can’t contact him. 🙁

— Carol Duncan (@carolduncan) October 8, 2019

The account then sent a message asking for her father’s address and ended up rescuing him and his partner.

She was speechless when Ben Fordham told her the fire is being treated as suspicious.

“Who would do that? I cannot believe what you’ve just told me.

“The shed is still standing but everything inside that shed is incinerated.”

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