Cromwell house badly damaged, neighbouring home evacuated during late-night fire
A Central Otago man has escaped a late-night house fire without injury after being woken by a smoke alarm.
Emergency services were called to the fire on Horace St in Cromwell shortly after 11pm on Sunday.
The house was “well ablaze” when three crews from Cromwell and another from Clyde arrived, Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesman Brent Dunn said.
He said no-one was injured in the blaze but there was “extensive damage” to the rear of the home.
Crews were able to stop the fire spreading to any nearby structures, but a neighbouring property was evacuated as a precaution, Dunn said.
The fire was extinguished shortly after 12.50am.
Specialist fire investigator Marty Jillings said a man, the sole occupant of the home, was able to escape the fire because he was woken by working smoke alarms.
The circumstances of the fire were still under investigation, but it was not considered suspicious at this stage.
Staying home over the break?
The long weekend is the perfect time to make your place safer for an earthquake with these steps:
• Find out where you can turn off your water and gas mains
• Check your chimney for any signs of wear and tear, or damage
• Check your home's foundations are secured
• Move heavy items that are up high to safer, lower down locations.
• Secure tall and heavy furniture and appliances
These simple actions can keep your whānau safer in case of a big shake, so tick them off and make the most of your break.
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Staying home over the break?
The long weekend is the perfect time to make your place safer for an earthquake with these steps:
• Find out where you can turn off your water and gas mains
• Check your chimney for any signs of wear and tear, or damage
• Check your home's foundations are secured
• Move heavy items that are up high to safer, lower down locations.
• Secure tall and heavy furniture and appliances
These simple actions can keep your whānau safer in case of a big shake, so tick them off and make the most of your break.