Elderly couple escape with their lives after fire rips through their Helensville home

Five fire appliances attended the fire at Helensville. Photo / Bevan Conley.

An elderly couple from Helensville escaped with their lives after a fire ripped through their home in the middle of the night.

The couple, in their 70s, managed to get out of their home in Awaroa Rd safely after the blaze spread quickly just before 3am.

Maria Strong, who lives next door to the couple, was comforting her female neighbour today. Her husband was taken to hospital but later released.

"They are both fine and they got out but they had very little time to get out.

"She is quite traumatised. She has lost everything," Strong said.

The woman did not want to talk about the fire with Strong saying at the moment things are still very raw for her neighbour.

"The fire brigade and the emergency services have been absolutely incredible, and special thanks for everything they did," Strong said.

She said Helensville - a town 40km northwest of Auckland - was a very caring community whose people have been rallying around to do everything they can to help.

A Fire Service spokesman said they received a call at 2.50am and by the time they arrived at the address the house was well alight and took 45 minutes to bring under control.

Five appliances attended the scene and one appliance was still on standby at lunchtime.

Two St John ambulances attended the fire. The couple were both treated and the man was taken to Middlemore Hospital.