One dead in guesthouse fire in Otahuhu

One person has died in a fire in South Auckland this evening.

The blaze was on the second level of Wembley Guest House, a three-storey building on Moa St, Otahuhu.

Fire and Emergency Services were called to the rental accommodation at 5.45pm.

Scott Osmond from FENZ confirmed one person died in the blaze.

"It's a three-storey building and the fire was on the second floor," Osmond said. "When we got into the building we found one person deceased."

Ten appliances attended the fire at 35 Moa St. The 31-room accommodation sits above a block of shops and offers rooms to rent.

A police spokesperson confirmed officers were called around 5.50pm to assist with cordon's around the building.

Twenty five residents were staying at the guest house.

The guesthouse comprises a mix of one and two-bedroom units, rented out at between $140 and $240 a week.

The manager of the guesthouse, Ofa Hoskin, said she believed a heater may have been responsible for the blaze.

She said it was isolated to one part of the building. She said the building was equipped with smoke alarms and was directly linked to the fire department.

The Wembley guesthouse in Otahuhu. Photo / Google Maps

She said the person who died was a male.

She said the building is owned by a Singaporean company.

More to come