Three taken to hospital after house fire in central Whanganui

Whanganui's four fire trucks and two others attend the fire. PHOTO/ LEWIS GARDNER

The neighbour of a central Whanganui house that was on fire yesterday was alerted by the sound of a woman screaming as she tried to put it out with a hose.

Lee Morgan lives next door and poked his head out the bathroom window to see what was going on.

"I could see the whole side of the house was going up and they were trying to use their little hose to stop it, to no avail," he said.

He ran straight back inside and dialled 111, and several fire engines quickly arrived.

An artist, Mr Morgan removed all his paintings from the corner of his house closest to the fire. He took his own hose and started squirting the side of his house, also wooden and just 4m from the blaze.

"The heat was phenomenal — it was scary s***," he said.

His house now has fire damage — the gutters have dropped off and the paint is blistered. Fire staff are to make sure there is no fire in the ceiling.

The old wooden building next door to him in Guyton St was once a dairy and has been totalled by the fire.

Mr Morgan and others were told to keep clear of its smoke, which was thick and brown.

It was occupied by an Asian man and his mother, neighbour Graham Rye said.

The occupants were taken to Whanganui Hospital with possible smoke inhalation, St John station manager Trudy Taylor said.

A female firefighter was also taken to hospital to be checked out.

Whanganui's four fire trucks went to the blaze, Senior Station Officer Craig Gardiner said. They were joined by Marton and Ratana trucks. Palmerston North and Bulls were standing by.

Breathing apparatus was needed, and Mr Gardiner expected crews to start rotating.
Fire and Emergency NZ staff would stay at the scene until they were sure all was safe. The cause would be investigated.