A MAN tried to hack down a wall and tree outside a house, before it burst into flames at West Ryde this morning.

Police and firefighters were called to the corner of Adelaide St and Victoria Rd just before 10am after neighbours reported the fire and man’s erratic behaviour.

A vet at the neighbouring West Ryde Veterinary Clinic, Dr Kara Altman, saw most of the drama.

“A man with a sledgehammer was trying to hack down the front wall (outside the house),” she said.

“I was keeping an eye on him. I wasn’t sure if he was demolishing it. He looked a bit erratic.

“Then he went out the back, grabbed a saw and tried to cut the tree down at the front.

“It didn’t seem to work, so he went and got pruners and tried that.”

media_camera Emergency services outside the house. Picture: Steven Deare

Ms Altman said the man appeared to have full access to the house and garage. No-one else was at the house.

“The next thing we saw fire coming from the house, so we called the fire brigade and police,” she said.

The blaze prompted people living next door to rush outside.

“There were people next door trying to put out the fire, and the man yelled abuse at them,” Ms Altman said.

“Then he drove a car up on to the corner (of Adelaide St and Victoria Rd).”

Ms Altman said the man opened the petrol cap cover of the car.

However, he became distracted and ran in to the garage.

media_camera The windows of the house were smashed by the blaze. Picture: Annika Enderborg

Police from Ryde Local Area Command and the Public Order Riot Squad soon arrived, forced entry to the garage, and arrested the 41-year-old man.

Another witness to the blaze, Philip Brown, described the scene.

“There was smoke pouring out of the roof, and the windows were blown out,” he said.

“The police and fire brigade were arriving and the traffic was chaos.”

The arrested man has been taken to Royal North Shore Hospital for assessment.

Police directed traffic at the busy Victoria Rd intersection during the event, while firefighters extinguished the blaze.

Police cordoned off the site as a crime scene and the car remained at the corner of the streets this afternoon.