Fire gutted a home and wrecked two cars in the Auckland street John Key once described as a dead-end place. Charles Chan, who lives nearby, said he heard explosions and saw clouds of smoke pouring out of the burning building. "It was a very big fire. There were two cars, one under the porch and one a few feet away. Both were engulfed in flames," he said. "The fire was very intense. Black smoke covered the whole neighbourhood."
Fire gutted a home and wrecked two cars in the Auckland street John Key once described as a dead-end place.
Firefighters in six fire trucks were sent to battle the blaze, which happened shortly before 5pm in McGehan Close, Owairaka, just west of Mt Albert Rd.
Two hours later fivetrucks were still there and officers were dampening down hot-spots, the Fire Service's Northern Communication Centre said. Everyone who had been inside the flat was accounted for and was safe.
Charles Chan, who lives nearby, said he heard explosions and saw clouds of smoke pouring out of the burning building.
"It was a very big fire. There were two cars, one under the porch and one a few feet away. Both were engulfed in flames," he said. "The fire was very intense. Black smoke covered the whole neighbourhood."
The two-storey dwelling is one of several in a block of flats.
In 2007, before he became Prime Minister, Mr Key said there were "streets in our country where helplessness has become ingrained ... dead-ends for those who live in them ... places where rungs on the ladder of opportunity have been broken.
"I'm talking about streets like McGehan Close in Owairaka, Auckland."
