A blaze ripped through an Mt Roskill property this afternoon, shooting flames and plumes of thick, black smoke into the sky.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand crews attended the house fire on Richardson Rd around 3pm but it was well involved when they arrived, a spokesman said.
No one was reported missing or injured as a result and Fenz investigators were on scene this evening seeking the cause of the fire.
Rohit Kapoor lives around 100 metres away from the property and walked down the road to have a look after seeing billows of black smoke rising.
"By the time I was there it was quite dense smoke and the fire was coming out," he told the Herald.
"I've not seen anything like it in my life. It's the first time I've seen somebody's dream on fire ... it was pretty devastating."
Footage shows flames spewing out of walls, the roof and windows of the property as thick black smoke rises into the sky.
Fenz crews were able to extinguish the flames but not before a bite was taken out of the roof.
• Meanwhile, Fenz crews in Christchurch battled scrub fires near Kirwee this afternoon.
A spokesperson said three small fires were ignited by sparks coming off a train but have been contained.