A family’s walk with their dog took a devastating turn on Sunday when they returned to find their home in a suburb south of Perth had been engulfed by an out-of-control fire.

Fire and SES crews attended to the blaze, which DFES confirmed was started by a “pot on the stove”, on Miguel Road in Yangebup about 8am, after a neighbour saw smoke billowing from the roof and called triple zero.

By the time the couple and their little girl returned from their walk, the blaze had fully taken over their home.

The male resident said he opened the front door to his home to assess the situation but instantly shut it again when he realised the fire had taken over.

“I took one look and thought, no I won’t go inside,” he told PerthNow.

The cause has been chalked up to an accident, the family said.

Firefighters extinguished the fire, which was contained to the kitchen, by 8.25am but reported extensive smoke damage throughout the home.

The couple, who have been offered accommodation from multiple neighbours, said they were grateful to have not been home at the time.

The home was fully insured, which they said had softened the blow of the ordeal.

The neighbour who first alerted emergency services, said he’d heard loud bangs which “sounded like windows smashing”.

A man from the same household said he ran across to the home and frantically banged on the windows to alert anyone who might have been home at the time.

The pair said firefighters appeared to contain the blaze swiftly before working on the cleanup, which was still ongoing late into the morning.