KEY POINTS:
A fire which destroyed a flat in the Wellington suburb of Johnsonville last night is being treated as suspicious.
Johnsonville Fire Station senior station officer John Devereux said police and fire safety officers were investigating the blaze which burnt through a two storey flat and smoke damaged the adjoining flat, about 9pm.
The fire was thought to have started downstairs, possibly in a bedroom, he said.
Two adults and three children escaped the flat unharmed, Mr Devereux said.
A neighbour was taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation.
Neighbours had reported hearing an explosion, he said.
"But there wasn't anything volatile that we could find in there. It was probably just the fire flashing over and blowing out the windows and things like that."
The fire took about 30 minutes to get under control and firefighters spent another hour and a half checking for hot spots, Mr Devereux said.
The fire was one of two in the greater Wellington region last night.
Hutt Valley historic building Dudley Cottage, in Hutt Park, burned to the ground about 10.30pm.
- NZPA
