Six weeks later, McQueen's life took another blow, when a stove element caught fire.
"It was literally seconds," McQueen described when he noticed something was wrong. "I'd gone to take a shower, when I felt hot, like it was just heat, then I spun around to look down the hallway. It was so hot the flames looked blue."
He could hear crackling and the neighbours from the adjoining house shouting from outside, "Get out!"
McQueen's dog Lola had got spooked and hidden under the bed.
"I was screaming trying to get her out. I tried to lift the bed base to get it off her, but the base was metal and the heat blistered my hands."
He made several attempts to run back inside and save his dog, who he described as his "best friend".
"The roof had started caving in and the windows were smashing out because of the heat. I could see the fridge and the washing machine were melted and glass from the fish tank looked like a puddle of water on the bench."
When Fire and Emergency services arrived, they tried to revive the labrador.
"They performed CPR on her for 10 to 15 minutes," said McQueen. "She wasn't burnt or blistered, she just looked like she was just asleep. Some of the firefighters were crying afterwards."
Fire and Emergency services were alerted to the fire on Mayfield Ave on the day at 11.45am. A spokesperson said the single-story property was well involved when they arrived, and the fire was caused by unattended cooking.
McQueen said he'd mentioned a faulty stove element to his manager a few times before the fire on December 9 and a technician came to check the wiring about a month before.
"You would flick [the element] on '1' and it goes to '10'....Usually I would turn it off at the wall when not in use, but this time I didn't."
McQueen said his neighbour in the adjoining house also had issues with the stovetop, and smoke would come from the elements when she used them.
Kāinga Ora manager Gill Brown said they extended their condolences to McQueen and had organised contact with Victim Support and the Ministry of Social Development for ongoing support.
"Pets can be hugely beneficial to your physical and mental wellbeing, and that is part of the reason why Kāinga Ora allows them in properties that are suitable. Our pets are our family members, and losing them in such tragic circumstances is truly heart-breaking."
Brown said an electrical inspection report was completed in August between tenancies and one of the elements on the stove had been replaced.
"Kāinga Ora self-insures its homes and encourages customers to take out their own policy for their belongings. Our records show there were never any issues reported regarding the oven, by any of our customers, since 2013," said Brown.
Since the fire, McQueen has been trying to get his life back together, but said his pet was the last thing he had left after his partner's sudden death at the end of October.
Chaeden McQueen's dog Lola was killed by a fire in his home in December. Photo / Supplied
McQueen said his dog Lola was a rescue pet and had been a "huge comfort" to him over the past nine years.
"She was amazing. I had her from eight weeks old. We'd take her on road trips and she came in the van with us when we did a tiki-tour down to the South Island and back up to Auckland. I'd take her to the dog park and she'd have play dates - she was so spoiled."
McQueen was put into temporary accommodation in a motel and moved into a two-bedroom property in Liberton two weeks ago, but he didn't have insurance and was starting from scratch again.
"All I left with was my towel I was wearing, and a t-shirt I grabbed. [Kainga Ora] gave me this grant of $500, but at the end of the day, it's not enough. I spent the first night in the house with a TV and a fold out bed."
His friend has given him a kitten - named Henry - and set up a givealittle page so he can get some more household items.
