Woman 'in hysterics' as Mt Roskill house burns down, neighbour says

A Mt Roskill couple appeared to be in shock as they watched their house burn down in a matter of minutes this morning, a witness says.

Firefighters were called to the house fire on Fickling Ave in the Auckland suburb of Mt Roskill about 7.15am.

Three crews tackled the blaze but a neighbour - who asked not to be named - said the house was already unsalvageable when firefighters arrived.

Two people have been taken to Middlemore Hospital by ambulance following the blaze, a St John spokeswoman said. One was in a serious condition and one was in a moderate condition. St John was called at 7.22am.

A neighbour, who asked not to be named, said he was lying in bed when he heard a woman screaming, about 7.15am.

"I was worried she was being assaulted or something. I got out of bed and there were a few neighbours out there. I could see the husband holding his wife standing across the street, and their house was up in flames."

When he first looked outside there appeared to be flames in the lounge, but by the time he crossed the street "they were bursting out the windows, the whole house was just engulfed. All they could do was stand there in shock".

"They obviously got out in time but she was just in hysterics."

The police Eagle helicopter was soon circling over the scene, but by the time fire crews arrived 5-10 minutes later the house was already unsalvageable, he said.

Two ambulances had attended the scene, and one had taken the woman away. The neighbour believed she had not been injured but was in shock.

The section had been subdivided and there was a new build directly behind, which the neighbour said was likely to have been enveloped in smoke.

Crews had quickly brought the fire under control, he said. An hour later all three trucks were still there but the fire was out.

It's the second devastating house fire in the suburb in three days after a Housing New Zealand home was destroyed on Holdsworth Ave on Sunday.

The corrugated iron roof was blackened and the inside of the wooden house was burnt out.

"You can still see paint on the outside but there are big black spots on the roof, all the windows, the internal stuff is all burnt."

Fire and Emergency NZ northern shift manager Colin Underdown said the fire service had received multiple calls. The single-storey house measured about 15m x 10m and was "well involved" in fire when the first crews arrived.

Fire crews from Mt Roskill, Onehunga and Balmoral tackled the fire.

One low pressure hose and one high pressure hose were being used in an "offensive tactical" operation - meaning crews were attacking the fire rather than defending other structures, Underdown said.

Everyone who lived at the house had been accounted for.