A Christchurch resident is shaken after a serious house fire took the life of her neighbour, who she says used a wheelchair.
Emergency services were notified of the blaze on Dickson Cres in the suburb of Hornby at 12.55pm yesterday.
In an update shortly after 3pm, police said a resident of the house had been found deceased inside.
One neighbour, who asked not to be named, said she heard a “massive bang” and knew something was wrong. She told the Herald about the incident.
“She was in a wheelchair. Evidently, her carers had just arrived when I looked outside, and they were just beside themselves, understandably ... I think they’d been caring for her for quite a while,” the woman said.
Roads in the area were cordoned off yesterday by police while Fire and Emergency New Zealand crews worked on the scene.
The fire appears to have destroyed a section of the house.
A St John spokesperson confirmed another patient in minor condition was assessed and treated at the scene.
Katie Oliver is a Christchurch-based Multimedia Journalist and breaking news reporter.
Commercial flights had to change course after a live-fire warning.