Two neighbouring houses engulfed by fire near Christchurch

Two neighbouring houses have been destroyed by fire near Christchurch.

A Woodend Volunteer Fire Brigade spokesperson confirmed two houses on Dunns Avenue at Pine Beach had been destroyed by fire on Sunday morning.

One was completly gutted, while the second house beside it was still standing, but had been severely fire damaged.

The spokesperson said residents of one house were not home at the time while residents of the neighbouring house were able to escape without incident.

READ MORE:
* Christchurch dad takes on ‘terrifying inferno’ with garden hose
* Large blaze at Feilding house extinguished after two hours
* New Plymouth house at centre of armed siege standoff destroyed by fire

A Fire and Emergency spokesperson said they were called to the fire at 5.30am but by the services arrived the houses were “well involved”. Four fire trucks attended and put out the fire by 7am.

It is the second serious house fire in the small North Canterbury settlement after a house caught fire last month.

Fire crews worked to minimise damage to neighbouring properties at the scene but a social media post from the daughter of a neighbouring resident said her mother’s house had sustained heat and asbestos ember damage.

The fire led to FENZ advising homeowners to ensure they had working smoke alarms.

Fire and Emergency senior adviser Wayne Hamilton said such incidents were a reminder of how fast fires were and said the occupant had been lucky to escape.

“We encourage everyone to have an escape plan and to practise it. We also recommend photoelectric smoke alarms in all sleeping and living areas to provide early detection of fire.”

More to come.