One injured, traffic gridlocked following East Auckland house fire

A property fire in East Auckland's Flat Bush gridlocked traffic.

A person has sustained moderate injuries, while passing traffic was brought to a standstill after an East Auckland property caught fire.

Emergency services responded to a house blaze on Arrowsmith Drive, Flat Bush around 12.40pm.

Fire crews tackled the property fire, which drew residents in from across the area when they spotted the plume of smoke rising into the air.

One local, who has lived in the area for six years, said she was standing outside her house just before 1pm when she saw the smoke rising.

There are unconfirmed reports of injuries as a result of the fire.

“I thought it must have been a bush or something,” she told the Herald.

The local said there were cars everywhere with people watching the blaze. At the time, only one fire truck had arrived and was working to extinguish the fire.

“There were cars going down the road and heading into the smoke, it was a bit crazy,” she said.

“The whole intersection of Thomas Rd [a nearby street] was deadlocked in traffic. The fire was massive.”

The Herald understands the fire is extinguished. A spokesperson for Hato Hone St John Ambulance confirmed one person had been moderately injured as a result of the fire.