Fire fighters are at the scene of a blaze at a two-storey home in the Auckland suburb of Parnell this afternoon.
Fire communications shift manager Jaron Philips said emergency services received multiple calls from members of the public about an explosion in a garage fire.
The house and adjoining garage were "fully involved" when the fire service arrived on the scene at 3.50pm.
Phillips said all people thought to have been inside the garage at the time had been accounted for.
A specialist fire investigator is on the way to the scene to determine the cause of the blaze.
Neighbours described the dramatic aftermath.
Louise Doyle was in her house across the road when she felt a "huge explosion".
"I came out and the whole street was filled with smoke. There was a man yelling 'is there anybody in there?'.
"Then the flames started and they were literally higher than the house."
She was thankful no one was walking past the double street-front garages.
"They would've been killed. It was a merciful thing that no one was walking past."
At least one burnt out motorbike was lying outside.
The owner of the home arrived at the scene on another motorbike as firefighters dampened hot spots.
A neighbour said the man, understood to be a motorcycle enthusiast, was shaken but had told her the house was okay.
Another neighbour, Aravinda Dayaratne, also heard the explosion.
"I heard someone really screaming and there was a column of smoke. It was really, really dark."
Neighbour Katherine Hebditch saw firefighters break down the bottom storey door, but no one was inside.
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