Police investigate possible drug blaze

Photo / File

Police will continue investigations into a house blaze suspected to have been caused by a drug lab operation.

Emergency services rushed to Harley Road in Takapuna yesterday morning following reports of a large house fire on the street.

Several fire trucks were called to the blaze, which northern communications police Inspector Cornell Kluessein said was the site of a P lab.

A spokesman for the North Shore Police said he could not confirm that, but said: "It's a suspicious fire that they're looking into."

An ambulance was called, however no one was hurt and no one is believed to have been inside the house at the time.

Fire fighters remained at the site for up to three hours after the fire occurred.

Police cordoned off the home and stood guard as other officers wearing white boiler suits and gloves walked in and out of the building.

The house was left half gutted and only half the roof remained as the other side was a charred skeleton.

Neighbours stood outside as emergency services worked and at least two homes had had their power cut as a result of the blaze.

Residents Nicole and Davide Bozzetti were sleeping in their home next door when they heard someone banging loudly on their window, yelling: "Fire, fire, fire!"

Mr Bozzetti said he looked outside to see huge flames and plumes of smoke billowing near their house and rushed to get the couple's 3-day-old baby girl, Greta.

"I said to my wife, 'get the baby!' We grabbed the baby and ran out. The fire was so big," Mr Bozzetti said.

"The girl next to [our home] who is seven months pregnant, she ran out with her big belly too."

People walking through a nearby alleyway raised the alarm by banging on neighbours' windows, waking them up.

Neighbours said police had told them that the blaze had been caused by a suspected P lab and had asked whether they had heard any loud explosions.

Neighbours said the house belonged to two middle-aged brothers, who had not been seen at the property for some time.