Family were at home when Portland house went up in flames

Portland is a small rural settlement located roughly 15kms south of Whangārei. Photo / Tania Whyte

A person is being treated for serious burns received when an accidental fire tore through their Portland home last night.

The alarm was raised at around 8pm when neighbours noticed flames coming from the three-bedroom house.

Portland deputy fire chief Wayne Smith, who lives locally, said his daughter rushed to tell him a house was on fire after spotting it from her cabin.

Almost the entire Portland Volunteer Fire Brigade responded to the scene alongside two appliances from Whangārei and an operational support unit.

“It was a big one,” Smith said. “The house was fully ablaze when we got there.”

The inferno was so intense firefighters were left with no choice but to battle the blaze from the outside.

“We couldn’t go into the house because the roof was collapsing,” Smith said.

The family had been home when the fire started.

Fire Investigator Colin Melville was unable to confirm exactly how many people but said it was understood that most, if not all, were outside near the barbecue when the fire started.

One person was treated for burns by Hato Hone St John paramedics and taken to Whangārei Hospital in a moderate condition.

Firefighters eventually left the scene at midnight. However, at 3am today the brigade was back at the property as the fire had reignited.

Little had been left of the house, Smith said.

A scene examination carried out by Melville this morning determined the fire had been accidental.

He said the fire started when burning fat that dripped from a BBQ set the deck alight.

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