Update
Fire-fighters have confirmed a candle caused a fire, which burnt out a top floor unit in a three-storey block at Jannali this week.
Thirty-five firefighters from Fire and Rescue NSW brigades from Sutherland and other shire stations attended the blaze in the unit in Railway Parade about 5am on Wednesday April 21.
A ladder platform appliance from Kogarah brigade was also called.
Sutherland Fire Station 046 said in a Facebook post the fire "was started by a single flame from a candle".
"The fire quickly took hold of the apartment and into the roof void, which spread to the adjoining apartment.
"The occupant [ a man believed to be in his 50s] was transported to hospital with burns and smoke inhalation and all other residents self evacuated safely.
"When using candles or burning incense please ensure they are properly extinguished before retiring for the night."
Earlier
A candle, which set fire to a mattress, caused a fire in a unit on the top floor of a three-level block at Jannali early today, a resident says.
Melanie Preston, who lives on the second level, said the man who occupied the unit in which the fire broke out "came running down the stairs, asking for a bucket and hose".
"They would have been useless because by that time the unit was engulfed," she said.
The man, believed to be aged in his 50s, was treated by paramedics at the scene before being taken to hospital.
All occupants of the building in Railway Parade, a few doors north of the Union Hotel, safely evacuated after the fire broke out about 5am.
Residents and police went from door to door, raising the alarm.
Thirty-five firefighters from Fire and Rescue NSW brigades attended, and the blaze was quickly extinguished.
Ms Preston said three home units were believed to have suffered extensive damage, with others likely to be smoke affected.