East Coast farm house destroyed by fire

Crews were sent from Tolaga Bay and Tokomaru Bay, along with a tanker from Gisborne, in response to a house fire 30km along Tauwhareparae Rd. Photo / File

A house on a farm property inland from Tolaga Bay in the Gisborne district was destroyed by fire on Sunday night.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand was alerted to the blaze in the big homestead on Tauwhareparae Rd at around 7pm.

Crews were sent from Tolaga Bay and Tokomaru Bay, along with a tanker from Gisborne.

The property was 30km along Tauwhareparae Rd.

“It was always going to be difficult for the crews to do much about it because of the distance,” a senior firefighter said. “As it was, the house was a total loss.”

The couple living there lit a fire in an open fireplace, then went out for a walk, he said.

“When they returned, the house was on fire.”

Fire and Emergency assistant district commander Trudi Hicklin said the fire crews were able to protect nearby structures and surrounding bush.

“But they were unable to stop the fire from destroying the house. The people living there have lost everything inside the house.”

A specialist fire investigator went to the property on Monday to confirm the cause and origin of the fire.