Charges unlikely after house fire

Police say it is unlikely anyone will be charged in connection with the Parnell house fire that started while two teenagers were home alone.

Neighbours and fire fighters say the house destroyed in Monday's blaze was one of five rental properties owned by a Remuera woman. It was understood that it was not insured.

It is illegal for parents to leave children under 14 at home alone without reasonable cause, but the boys were aged 15 and 13.

A police spokeswoman said yesterday that they were not investigating and that charges were unlikely.

After the Brighton Rd house went up in flames at 4.20pm, the brothers sat stunned inside a neighbour's house. Their father was believed to be on Waiheke Island.

The neighbour said after the blaze started, the older boy had come "bolting up the drive" yelling that there was a fire.

His brother was in the shower at the time and made it safely out of the smoke-filled house in his boxer shorts.

Moments later, the home was engulfed in flames. Thirty-four firefighters were soon on the scene to bring the blaze under control.

During the emergency, a family friend or relative who was driving past stopped to comfort the teenagers.

A victim support adviser living locally also came to the house. Then, the pair's adult brother who lives elsewhere in Auckland turned up, and their mother also arrived after hearing what had happened on the radio.

The neighbour said the boys were now staying with their mother, who lived on the North Shore.

Auckland chief fire officer Brian Edwards said he imagined narrowly escaping death and watching your entire home go up in flames "would be something that would haunt you for life".

Yesterday, firefighters were still at the scene dampening down the rubble.

Mr Edwards said that firefighters could not move the debris until they got clearance to do so from an engineer.

"We can't do much else except keep an eye on it because it is still smouldering."

The neighbour said the family had not been living in the house for very long. He believed they had recently returned to New Zealand from the UK.