An Oxford St resident, who did not wish to be named, said as her house filled up with smoke, her husband quickly closed the windows, they grabbed their children and fled the house.
When occupants at the Fraser St house were told their garage was on fire they did not believe it at first, then she saw a woman grab a garden hose to try to put it out, she said.
Bruce Wilkinson, whose house overlooks the garage, said as he stood at his back door about 30-40 metres away he could see the flames, thick smoke and felt the intense heat.
"I could smell burning and thought someone was burning rubbish in the backyard and then I could see thick black smoke and flames coming out of the eves of the garage.
"Within a couple of minutes the flames were also shooting up from top of the garage roof," he said. Mr Wilkinson said he could see some of the occupants at the house standing in the backyard, including one man who looked in shock and the fire brigade was on the scene within five minutes.
"I could see the firefighters pulling out mattresses from the garage and my immediate thought was I hope no-one was inside," he said.
Tauranga fire senior station officer Mark Keller said the cause of the fire was still being investigated.
Two occupants of the house were taken to Tauranga Hospital for observation due to smoke inhalation, including a woman who tried to put the fire out with a garden hose, while a second woman was also taken to hospital with minor burns after she tried to protect a car with a garden hose, he said.
