Fire rips through villa as neighbours flee
Firefighters and police frantically banged on doors to evacuate neighbours in the early hours of yesterday as fire engulfed a multimillion dollar Auckland villa.
Northern Fire and Emergency shift manager Lauren Sika told the Herald the fire that ripped through the threestorey villa beside Auckland’s Harbour Bridge was “totally involved” when fire crews arrived on Shelly Beach Road around 1.45am.
Helen Riddiford, 79, who lives in an apartment block next door, said she and her husband were woken up by firefighters banging on their door.
“We were fast asleep at the time, they told us about the fire and to put on something warm as we had to leave the house,” she said.
“I just came out of the hospital not too long ago but managed to get out with the help of my walking stick. When we stepped outside, it was like a scene from a TV show, there were fire trucks, ambulances, police, and lights everywhere.”
Emergency crews were rushed to the scene after they received a number of calls about the fire.
St John responded to the fire as a precaution but were not required to assist, a spokeswoman said.
Riddiford said a St John staffer offered the ambulance bed for her to rest and suggested she could take a “wee sleep”.
“I was too worried about the fire jumping to our apartment block and whether anyone was hurt in the blaze to get any real rest,” she said. .
A Fire and Emergency spokesman said one person was in the house when the fire started, but crews quickly made sure everyone had been accounted for.
It was estimated about 50 per cent of the house with an estimated valuation of $2.5 million had been damaged by fire.
The property has also sustained significant water and smoke damage.