Fire and Emergency New Zealand received several reports regarding a fire in Hauturu St.
A naked woman enjoying a hot bath was forced to jump for her life from a second-storey window to escape a house fire last night moments before the property was consumed by flames.
The woman - who uses a mobility scooter due to medical problems - was having a bath in the Whangamatā property’s second floor when the fire took hold about 9pm last night.
A man has since been charged with arson and was set to appear today in Hamilton District Court.
Local residents heard sirens and rushed to the scene to find the unclothed woman leaning out the window as her house burned and the flames licked at her bathroom door.
One of the residents who responded said rescuers called for her to jump for her life. With no other choice, she leapt from the window, and an orange tree broke her fall.
“Her house was on fire. She was inside but she had to get out and that was the only way out.
“There were men there trying to catch her. She is so lucky. Even my husband said, ‘How on earth did she get out of that window’?”
Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) received several reports regarding a fire in Hauturu St shortly after 9pm.