A number of firefighters are at the scene on Tawariki Street.
Photo: RNZ/Marika Khabazi
A construction worker has described pulling someone from a burning house in the Auckland suburb of Ponsonby.
A number of firefighters are at the scene on Tawariki Street, with crews using an aerial crane to try contain the fire on Thursday.
Jeremy Lodder was working at a construction site nearby when he noticed a fire on the other side of the road.
Jeremy Lodder was working at a construction site nearby when he noticed a fire on the other side of the road.
Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi
He stopped working and leapt into action.
“I just thought it was a burn off, but it was a strange place for it in the middle of the city. I realised it was pretty close to the brick walls and once I saw that, I stopped my machine that I was using, told the other boys to stop, talked to the supervisor who was here [and] told him to call the fire brigade,” Lodder said.
“… knocked on the doors, found one guy in there, got him out, while the house was on fire.”
Lodder said he’s seen house fires before and knows how fast they can spread.
“That’s why as soon as I saw it I jumped out [and] stopped my gear.”
Workers were at a construction site nearby when they saw the fire.
Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi
Fire and Emergency (FENZ) Senior Station Officer Michael Manning told RNZ there were multiple calls just after 10am.
“We got here within a couple of minutes and the rear of the house was well involved in fire and the neighbouring house was also starting to catch fire,” he said.
He said the first home has extensive damage, but the neighbour’s home has been spared and has only scorch marks.
“The crews did an excellent job stopping the fire moving through that property,” he said.
Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi
Manning said the police were called while there were initial concerns for the whereabouts of the person at the home and whether they were hurt or missing.
“He’s now been located and is speaking with our fire investigators and police,” Manning said.
Firefighters at the scene of the fire in Ponsonby.
Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi
Six fire trucks and more than 20 crew were called in.
Manning said it had been a busy morning for Auckland fire crews. They responded to the Ponsonby fire fresh after attending a fire on Hobson Street in the CBD.
“We had just recommissioned from that when this job came in,” he said.
Crews are using a high-reach ladder truck from Wellington to take the roof off and put out the remaining pockets of fire,” Manning said.
The fire comes a day after a person died in another house fire in Auckland.