Family escape blazing house

A fire at a house in Hamilton's Glenview spread very fast, according to a neighbour. Photo / Sarah Ivey

Fire Services are renewing calls to keep smoke alarms in working order and not to overload multi-boxes, following a close call for a Hamilton family yesterday.

At least four people escaped a Glenview house in south Hamilton without injury after fire spread from a granny flat through a double garage and into the main house about 11am.

It was the second house fire in Hamilton in three days. Fire officers investigating the first one, in which a Hamilton woman escaped a blaze with her three infant children on Friday morning, believe the fire was caused by an arsonist.

A senior fire safety officer said an accelerant, possibly petrol, was poured over areas of the wooden floor of a bedroom in the Melville house.

The Glenview house owner, who wanted to be known only as "Monti", was playing golf with his daughter when he got the call telling him his house was on fire.

"Of course I thought the worst," he said. "You never know what to expect in these situations."

He returned home to find the small granny flat at the back of his home, where his brother and family had been staying, gutted by fire.

The blaze spread to his double garage and through most of the two-storey home before firefighters were able to put it out.

The man's wife and other daughter and family members in the flat escaped unharmed, but his house is ruined.

"There's the insurance that will need sorting, but my family is okay and no one was hurt, that's the most important thing."

A neighbour, who did not want to be named, was hanging out her washing when she noticed flames coming from the flat. "I just thought they were burning rubbish but then I noticed all the smoke coming out of the windows and I thought 'oh God, it's a fire'."

She immediately called the Fire Service and ran to the house to warn her neighbour in the lounge who was completely unaware of the fire.

"It's so frightening how fast fire spreads, the place is just a mess."

Hamilton fire district senior station officer Daryl Trim said the blaze was likely caused by a multi-box, which was overloaded with appliances plugged into it.

"This is something people need to be mindful of," said Mr Trim.

"It also pays to regularly check your smoke alarms."