A man and his five dogs narrowly escaped a house fire that destroyed their home, thanks to the quick actions of a neighbour.

The blaze broke out about 11.40am on Sunday at a two-storey home on Carlisle Crescent in Cambridge Gardens in Sydney’s west.

Neighbour Paul Boyd noticed smoke rising from the backyard and heard cracking sounds.

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He quickly alerted the homeowner to evacuate.

“I was telling him to get out. There’s a granny flat out the back — he owns five dogs [there],” Boyd told 7NEWS.

“I tried to get him out as quickly as possible. He ran back inside, and I said, ‘Get out of there!’ I’m just glad everyone’s safe.”

The roof collapsed within minutes.

Six fire trucks and 22 firefighters battled the blaze, which left the house with significant structural damage.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.