A Rotorua woman has arrived home from work to find a house gutted by fire.
Emergency services were called to the two-bedroom unit on Grey St, Glenholme about 11.20am yesterday. The owner could not be found for several hours after the fire was extinguished, but was eventually contacted at work by the Rotorua Fire Brigade.
She did not wish to talk to the Rotorua Daily Post.
Thick, black smoke could be seen from around the city, with neighbours and onlookers seeing flames coming from the window. The middle unit was one of three in the block, but there was no damage to the others.
Two crews from the Rotorua Fire Brigade and several police cars attended the fire, with the road cordoned off at Fenton and Lytton Sts. The fire took about six minutes to put out, Rotorua Fire Brigade senior station officer Jim Prescott said.
Michael Huang and his daughter Sophie, 12, were driving past and pulled over.
The Grey St house fully ablaze yesterday Photo/Michael Huang
"We arrived just before the fire crews did. You would have been able to see the smoke from a long way away," Mr Huang said. "We were thinking hopefully nobody is inside."
A neighbour, who did not want to be named, said she was having a coffee when she saw the fire.
"All of a sudden big, black smoke appeared. I didn't panic, I had a look behind the glass inside and then the police arrived. I saw the flames come pretty close to the fence and I was worried about my cat but she was fine. I was lucky the wind was blowing the other way."
There were initial reports a child could be heard inside the unit. The fire service said they were unable to track down who made that first call but a nanny working next door said the sound was probably the children she was looking after, who were upset.
"I went to bang on the door to see if anyone was home and as soon as I did the glass smashed. I just grabbed the children and left," she said.
Fire safety investigator Stuart Bootten said the home owner had insurance.
"We are still looking [at the cause], it could possibly be electrical," Mr Bootten said.
"It started in the master bedroom and there is heat and smoke damage throughout the house."
Mr Prescott said it was a good time to remind people of fire safety messages.
"One of the things we would like to say now that it is school holidays is the prevalence of fire does rise and it normally comes about by children being unsupervised.
"We have to particularly be careful in cold weather in the metre heater rule.
"Matches and lighters well away from children and working smoke alarms are a must because it would alert neighbours as well as yourself."
