Council probes whether resource consent was breached on property where house exploded

The sleepout in New Windsor that was rocked by a massive explosion early this morning may have lacked key resource consents.

Two people managed to escape the dwelling on the back of a property on Mary Dreaver St after it was ripped in half by an explosion just past 6am.

A woman with serious burn injuries was taken to Middlemore Hospital while a man with moderate injuries was taken to Auckland Hospital after the house erupted in flames.

Auckland Council compliance manager Sally Grey said the former Auckland City Council had granted a building consent for a sleepout on the premises in 2001.

"If any sanitary facilities or a kitchen were added to the sleep-out after the original consent was signed off, it would have been without consent or council oversight," she said. "We will investigate further."

A gas leak is thought to have caused the blast after the man turned on the lights.

The scene following an explosion and fire at a house in New Windsor, Auckland. Photo / Corazon Miller