A PROPERTY on Edinburgh Rd that burnt down last night had a 19-year history of hoarding issues with Marrickville Council.



A council spokeswoman said the issue was far more complex than it might seem on the surface as hoarding has been identified as a mental health problem.



In 2011 Marrickville Council issued formal council orders requiring the occupants to remove the accumulated material so as to reduce fire risk and improve access.



But the council backed off when the landowners became highly distressed and threatened self-harm.



``Council elected not to proceed after receiving advice from numerous sources that hoarding, primarily a mental health issue, is exacerbated by legal action and continues to recur,'' she said.



``Instead Council took the decision to further communicate with the occupants.''



Fire fighters struggled to get access to the Marrickville house at 9.20pm on Sunday as it reportedly had a 2m high wall of rubbish in the front yard.



The fire, which was ignited by a candle, was fuelled by the junk in the home, according to the NSW Fire and Rescue Service.



An elderly couple were taken to hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation and burns, where the woman remains in a serious condition.



The council spokeswoman said they had a long history with the couple. The latest inspection had taken place with compliance officers in June.



``At various times through this historical relationship, the owners of the property have voluntarily reduced the amount of material in response to council action,'' she said.



``However, as time has gone on, it has become evident that council could no longer rely on the landowner's co-operation.''



The spokeswoman said council would look into alternate approaches of resolving the issue of hoarding.



The council hoped any long-term solution made by the State Government would take into account the mental health issues involved.



``Forcing hoarders to remove materials does not solve the problem and can escalate the illness and the hoarding problem,'' she said.



A Hoarder and Squalor conference attended by council staff last year found ``any solution to this problem must first and foremost address the underlying mental health issues of those involved''.



NSW Fire and Rescue Service superintendent Tom Cooper said people should dob in neighbours who are hoarding.



``The people's belongings were stacked up to the roof, they even had belongings stacked inside the roof,'' he said.



``Hoarding posed a great risk to the safety of those in the home.''



Items from clothes to fishing roads, body boards and scrap metal had been packed throughout the couple's house and in their front yard.



They had also filled a van, a small four wheel drive and a trailer with goods that couldn't fit in their home.

