A 126-year-old Ponsonby property gutted by a fire which killed its owner has sold for $1.55 million at auction this morning.
The two-bedroom 1890 villa on Brown St in the central Auckland suburb went up in flames in October 2015.
The sole resident Valerie Gibson, 71, who had lived there for close to two decades, died in the fire as did eight of her dogs.
![The fire-damaged villa at 70 Brown St in Ponsonby. Photo / Nick Reed](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/Z47PFMAVLMHKGIY5YQAMC3XH44.jpg?auth=72c69fb1533c035f43929ccbcf00c19999117b1e588467251963e4705e01dbaf&width=16&height=10&quality=70&smart=true)
One of her Japanese chin dogs survived the blaze and was adopted by friends.