A house fire in McCullough Ave, Mt Roskill, tonight where a woman escaped with her life after her home caught alight while she was in the shower - in one of two Auckland fires tonight. Photo / Dubby Henry
Two people have been treated for smoke inhalation after a pair of house fires in suburban Auckland tonight.
Both fires are now out.
Northern Fire Communications' shift manager Colin Underdown said the two injured people were elderly and in a home in Riverlea Rd, Whenuapai, which caught fire about 5.30pm.
No one from St John Ambulance could be contacted to confirm their conditions.
The second house fire began in McCullough Ave, Mt Roskill, half an hour later.
In this fire a woman was lucky to escape with her life after her home went up in flames while she was in the shower.
The Fire service was first called to this blaze with reports a person was trapped inside.
Onehunga Fire Service's senior station officer Chris Power said a working smoke alarm "almost certainly" saved the woman's life.
Six fire trucks were on their way to the scene but two were stood down after a search of the one-storey house found no one inside.
The fire appears to have started in the kitchen or laundry of the home, Power said.
The middle-aged woman's partner was out at the time, so she had no one to warn her, Power said.
"The reason the occupant got out is that she was in the shower and heard the smoke alarm going off. By the time she heard that and got out the fire was reasonably well developed.
"She's very very lucky that the smoke alarm was there and that it was working," he said - saying it was a reminder for everyone to check their smoke alarms were working and had new batteries.
"In this case it worked and it almost certainly saved her life ... we're very very happy with the result.
"The back of the house is badly flame damaged and the rest has extensive smoke damage as well as further fire damage to the roof.
Twelve firefighters remained at the scene this evening dampening down hotspots, Underdown said.
Fire personnel are investigating the cause of the fire, which took around 20 minutes to bring under control.
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