Crews responded to the blaze about 8pm on Saturday. Photo: Jonothan McCabe
A fire in Dunedin’s student quarter last night may have been caused by an e-scooter catching alight.
Crews responded to the Dundas St fire about 8pm, arriving to find the property well ablaze, a Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) spokeswoman said.
While it was initially feared there were people inside the property, a full search by firefighters found it to be empty.
Several people have contacted the Otago Daily Times to say a person was seen riding an e-scooter into the house and doing “burnouts” inside before people fled the building.
One witness said they were having drinks there and someone brought a scooter into the house. “They started doing burnouts in the hallway on the scooter. The house first smelt of smoke from the tyres, then shortly after I was rushed out and people were saying there was a fire.”
The Fenz spokeswoman was unable to confirm the cause of the blaze, or the extent of any damage to the property.
She said the fire was extinguished by about 10.30pm.
– Allied Media