A FIRE THAT broke out in a nursing home in Sydney has killed four people and left 32 injured.

The Australian reports today that Australian police have arrested a man (35) in connection with the fire.

Detectives are investigating whether the fire was arson.

The fire broke out at around 5am in the Quakers Hill area and was described as a “firefighter’s worst nightmare”.

Firefighters searched on their hands and knees for patients, some of whom were bedridden and suffering from dementia.

They arrived to find two parts of the building on fire but it is not known if the fire had spread or if two separate fires had started.

Flames raced through the ceiling, and part of the roof of a wing collapsed.

Police confirmed that three patients were dead, including two whose bodies remained in the charred ruins of a room where one of the fires started. That area was too dangerous for investigators to enter.

Eighty eight patients were evacuated from the home and 13 were sent to intensive care for burns and smoke inhalation.

Federal Minister for Mental Health and Aging Mark Butler said the nursing home’s fire safety systems were found to meet standards during an audit in July.

The assistant fire commissioner said the facility did not have sprinklers but was not required by law to have such a fire safety system.

- Additional reporting by AP