One killed in Auckland fire

The Fire Service at the scene of a fatal fire on Queens Road in Panmure. Photo / Jason Oxenham, NZ Herald

One person has died in an apartment fire in Auckland's Panmure this afternoon.

Auckland City Fire Service assistant area commander Dave Woon said the dead person is believed to have died in bed on the ground floor.

It was a small, smoldering fire which heavily smoke-logged the house, he said.

After a thorough search of the house, firefighters did not find the second person who is believed to live in the apartment.

The unconscious person was dragged from the house and CPR performed, with no success.

"This fire is a small, smouldering type of fire. It just shows you that it doesn't have to be a large fire for people to be hurt.

"It is a bit distressing. In the last few weeks we've had a number of fatal and close calls."

Firefighters could see only a small amount of smoke when they arrived at the scene.

They were probably met with a wall of smoke as they entered the building.

It is too early to say what the cause was, Mr Woon said.

The apartment was "very secure" and getting inside took a matter of minutes, Mr Woon said.

It is the second fatal fire today, prompting the Fire Service to warn people about the basics.

"It doesn't take an awful amount of smoke. This fire may have been going for a period of time.

"The message we've got is early indication of fire is your best bet...smoke alarms, plan an escape route to get out, never go back, close the door."

The Fire Service at the scene of a fatal fire on Queens Road in Panmure. Photo / Jason Oxenham, NZ Herald

He said there was a smoke alarm sounding at the apartment when firefighters entered.

He said about 20 firefighters battled the smoke and blaze.

The bottom storey of the building is a garage.

The apartment is in the middle of a row of nine, with another eight facing them across a small car park.

The apartments are all cordoned off.

The fire service was alerted to the fire at 13.39 and it had around seven trucks in attendance at the block of apartments on Queens Road.

Police cordoned off Queens Rd - Panmure's main shopping strip - from Pilkington Rd and all seven shops in front of the set of apartment buildings were closed.

Queens Kebab owner Majid Soleymanyfard said a customer passing his shop came running in to tell him the back of the building was on fire.

Mr Soleymanyfard said he saw smoke billowing out of the top of the building.

He reported the blaze to 111 who were at the site within five minutes, he said.

Many of the people living in the apartments behind his shop are customers, he said.

A lot of the residents are older people, he said.

"I've been in here five years and nothing like this has happened.

"We feel very sorry. I wasn't thinking that it was that serious," he said.

Another man working in a nearby café, also reported seeing a lot of smoke and a number of firefighters outside.

A neighbour who lives opposite the apartment said she felt "shaky".

The whole complex were leaky buildings so most of the residents had already moved out, she said.

She said she had seen the neighbour who died but didn't know him.

"I feel quite shaky," she said.

"We had people coming in and out all day but didn't hear or smell anything. And the next thing we know, the firemen were here."

A woman who was helping her friend pack to move out said the gate blocking the path leading down to the apartments has a security lock which can only be opened from the inside.

They did not see or smell anything until they left the house, she said.

"As soon as we opened the door we could actually smell smoke."

She understood the man who died was a flat mate in the apartment.