Large house fire in Massey, armed police in attendance

A large house blaze at an address in the West Auckland suburb of Massey which sent plumes of smoke across the area has been extinguished.

Police detained a man at the scene temporarily but no arrests have been made.

“A man was detained briefly for entering the scene this morning, however has since been released without issue,” a police spokesperson said.

Armed police were also in attendance at the scene, with patched gang members seen at a police cordon.

Fire and Emergency NZ (Fenz) received multiple calls at 8.22pm on Thursday night to a house fire on Red Hills Rd.

“Upon arrival, the house was well involved in fire and we raised it to a second alarm,” a spokesperson said.

Police are “making inquiries” after being initially called to assist Fenz.

“Due to a number of people at the cordon, including gang members, specialist police were in attendance to ensure everyone’s safety.

“At this stage, the fire is being treated as unexplained and inquiries by emergency services will continue this morning to determine the full circumstances,” a spokesperson said.

Thick plumes of smoke filled the air as firefighters battled the blaze.

Images of the blaze show thick plumes of smoke filling the air.

A Herald photographer said many police officers armed with Bushmasters were outside the address.

The house was “utterly destroyed”, with the roof partly collapsed, he said. Fire crews were working around the address with several houses.

Red Hills Rd was closed for several hours between Sunnyvale Rd and Puhikawa St.

Five fire appliances were sent to fight the house fire on Red Hills Rd in Massey. Photo / Hayden Woodward

The fire was extinguished around 10.30pm but one fire truck remained to dampen down the hotspots overnight, Fenz northern shift manager Carren Larking said.

Two fire investigators had attended the scene in the dark and could return this morning, she said.

Five appliances attended from West Harbour, Te Atatū, Waitākere, Henderson and Auckland City.

Multiple hoses were in use as crews worked on the destroyed house. Photo / Hayden Woodward

Nearly one year ago, a number of armed police descended on a Red Hills Rd property as part of a pre-planned search warrant.

One nearby resident told the Herald last year she heard an explosion sound from the top of the street.

A New Zealand Defence Force spokesperson said an explosive ordnance disposal team responded to a request for assistance from New Zealand Police at the address, where an item was identified that appeared to be explosive in nature.

“The item was investigated and discovered to be hazardous and was subsequently disposed of by controlled demolition,” they said.

Another police operation was carried out at a property on the same street in 2023, where officers were seeking a wanted person.

Gang members could be seen at a police cordon outside the property. Photo / Hayden Woodward