A fire at a Bridge Street flat in Eltham on Thursday night took nearly four hours to extinguish, with Eltham Volunteer Fire Brigade chief fire officer Dave Waite saying that it appeared to have been caused by an electrical fault.
"The place is completely gutted," he says, adding that fortunately the occupants were out at the time of the fire.
A total of eight appliances attended the fire, with the two Eltham-based ones being joined by ones from Stratford, Kaponga, Hawera and New Plymouth.
"Thankfully the building had a good concrete wall between it and the neighbouring building, which prevented the fire from spreading," Dave said.
The fire provides "a timely reminder" to be wary of overloading electrical systems. "Don't use lots of multi-boxes or extension cords, and always unplug things when you can," Dave said.