Annette Jacobs and partner Brad Madden were alerted about 1.30am on Saturday when a neighbour over the back fence in Thompson St that they know only as Bob, banged on the door to say the next door house was burning down.
Ms Jacobs' rental home is located on the south side of Easons Hill, very close to one house where only the front wall and brick chimney remain standing.
She said her neighbour was awoken by his dog tugging on his sleeve.
"Bob said he looked out of his window and saw the fire. When he arrived at our place he was on the phone to emergency services at the same time."
If the fire brigade had not been on the scene so quickly, her eight-year-old son could well have been homeless today, she said.
Windows in the boy's room had cracked from the intense heat.
"The paint on the side of the house has blistered and the guttering had melted. If we hadn't been (warned) it could have been much worse - I could have lost my son."
Mr Madden, who normally lives in Cobden, said if the brigade was even five or 10 minutes later in arriving, "Annette's house would have gone up too".
Fire brigades from as far away as Hokitika turned out to the fire, with 45 firefighters on the scene at its height.
"The amazing efforts and quick response of all involved was awesome," Ms Jacobs said.
"Bob and his dog Doug who raised the alarm and alerted me in time to evacuate my home deserve extra special thanks. We even bought Doug two bones to thank it for waking his owner up."
Ms Jacobs said it was not until yesterday that she realised how close they had come to losing their home.
"It was very scary. We got out of our house and sat in our car and watched the houses burn down and the firefighters save mine."
West Coast police area prevention manager Senior Sergeant Paul Watson confirmed the fire was still being treated as suspicious and was now in the hands of the CIB.
"We would like to here from anyone who saw any suspicious activity in the area at the time or from people who may in fact know about who may have started the fire," Snr Sgt Watson said.
By Viv Logie
