Person escapes from well-involved house fire in Ruapehu region’s Ngāpuke

Emergency services responded to a house fire in Ngāpuke in the Ruapehu region.

A person has escaped from a well-involved fire at a property in Ngāpuke in the Ruapehu region.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokeswoman Alison Munn said fire services were called to reports of a house fire at 12.01am on Sunday.

She said crews found a house “well-involved with fire”.

“There was an initial report that there could be somebody still in the house ... but later that person was accounted for.”

The call went to a second alarm, which meant more crews were called to the property.

Fire crews from Taumarunui, Manunui, Ōwhango, Whanganui and a water tanker from Ruapehu were called out.

Firefighters were “extinguishing flames” at the property, Munn said.

Specialist fire investigator Anna Gordon said the cause of the fire was undetermined.

“The house suffered extensive damage.

“The occupant was able to escape from the home but had suffered from smoke inhalation.”

Munn said firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze.

Eva de Jong is a reporter for the Whanganui Chronicle covering health stories and general news. She began as a reporter in 2023.