Hastings home scorched as hoarded goods that surrounded it go up in flames

A huge pile of hoarded goods caught fire overnight on Friday, starting an inferno that spread to the home they had surrounded.

One person was assessed at the scene by Hato Hone St John in a minor condition after the blaze in a residential property on Frederick St, near the Mahora shops, shortly before 2am.

Firefighters, who were called from Hastings, Napier and Taradale, are keeping a close watch on the property today to ensure the piles of debris do not reignite.

Those watching authorities as they worked said the property had been well known as a “hoarder’s home” by the surrounding community.

Google Street View images also suggested piles of wood and other now-charred goods had been a fixture of the backyard for more than a year.

A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesman said they were called to a “rubbish fire threatening a house” and by the time crews arrives, the flames had spread to the house.

“By 3am we had the fire contained but we’ll have a presence there most of the day just making sure it does not reignite.”

There were nearby road closures on Frederick St. A scene guard was put in place overnight.

There was nothing to indicate the fire was suspicious at this stage, the fire spokesman said, but two specialist fire investigators were working to determine the cause.