Flames from a burning house on Ormond Rd could be seen from many parts of the city on Wednesday night. It took firefighters an hour and a half to bring it under control. The house was badly damaged. Photo / Murray Robertson
Flames from a burning house on Ormond Rd could be seen from many parts of the city on Wednesday night. It took firefighters an hour and a half to bring it under control. The house was badly damaged. Photo / Murray Robertson
A fire swept through an older split-level home in the Gisborne suburb of Mangapapa on Wednesday night, with flames from the inferno visible from many parts of the city.
A resident of a neighbouring property said she was grateful to firefighters, whose response prevented the “terrifying” blaze from spreading further.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand received the first 111 alert about 10pm.
The house was west of the Wi Pere St corner, on the northern side of Ormond Rd, and backed on to Railway Lane.
Screened by trees from the Ormond Rd side, there was not much sign of a fire, but it was a very different story from the Railway Lane side of the property. Photo / Murray Robertson
Neighbours of the burning house were terrified their home (right) could catch fire too, but firefighters kept it safe from the flames. Photo / Murray Robertson
The first of four fire crews to arrive found the wooden house well involved in fire.
“There was fire everywhere, the whole roof was burning,” a senior firefighter said.
“We attacked it externally with multiple deliveries.”
It took about an hour and a half to bring it under control, he said.
Fire crews were there all night, dampening it down.
“It was pretty well gutted,” the senior firefighter said.
“We believe it was unoccupied, but we went back [on Thursday] morning to search the remains of the house again to be sure.”
Fire and Emergency reported there was no sign of any occupant after a further search today.
The roof on the house’s upper level collapsed in the blaze.
