Attempts to save family dog in house fire to no avail

Occupants of a Wakari house gutted by fire yesterday comfort each other as firefighters work to extinguish the blaze. Photo / Gregor Richardson

Firefighters tried to perform CPR on a dog found hiding under a bed during a Wakari house fire, but could not save the family pet.

The cause of the fire, which gutted a Mayfield Ave property late yesterday morning, is still being determined.

Firefighters were called to the scene at 11.45am yesterday, where they found a house fully ablaze.

Crews from St Kilda and Dunedin requested additional crews from Lookout Point and Willowbank to help battle the fire.

Nearby resident Geoff Weston said he saw the fire from further up the hill and headed down to check it out.

"The whole house was up in flames," he said.

"It's frightening how fast and big it was."

Dozens of onlookers watched as firefighters in breathing apparatus worked to fully extinguish the fire, after they managed to bring it under control.

Willowbank Station Officer Peter O'Shea, who was working overtime at the St Kilda station yesterday, was one of the first firefighters at the scene.

He found a "pretty involved fire", and the occupants of the house were all outside.

As soon as firefighters were able to get into the house, they found the occupants' dog under a bed.

"We tried CPR and oxygen on the dog, but sadly it didn't work," Mr O'Shea said.

The occupants were "very distressed and upset", he said.

Their cat was found alive and well at a neighbouring property.

A Fire and Emergency NZ spokesman said the single-storey building, which comprised two separate units, was "well involved" when firefighters arrived at the scene.

"All people are accounted for and there are no injuries," he said.