SIMON O’CONNOR/STUFF No injured were reported following an early morning blaze in Whitby which started in caravan and spread to a house. (File photo).
A sharp smell of burnt plastic was still in the air following an early morning fire which a Porirua woman saw engulf her garage and van.
The homeowner, who asked to not be named, said she woke up to her husband saying there was a ‘light on the wall’ at about 3.30am on Friday.
“I looked down the hall and saw flames,” she said. “I saw the house was on fire.”
The pair grabbed their dogs, some clothes and managed to get safely out of the house which was built 10 years ago on Canary Way, in Whitby.
The woman climbed over her neighbour’s fence and went to the road where she could see her property. Her neighbours had also been woken up by the blaze and had called emergency services.
“I saw the van was alight and the garage was involved.”
She was grateful for the support of neighbours and the fire brigade. She had been told it was not being treated as suspicious.
A stranger who lives nearby had also offered their home to the pair for a week while she was on holiday.
A Fire and Emergency spokeswoman said the fire started in the van and moved to the house. Four fire vehicles from Porirua, Titahi Bay and Johnsonville attended the blaze.
Fire and Emergency investigators are investigating the cause of the blaze.
No-one was injured in the fire.
The woman’s business, Hel on Wheels Mobile Dog Grooming Ltd, posted on social media and said all appointments would be postponed until further notice because of the fire.
“I regret to inform you all that my van and home caught fire in the early hours of this morning, and I’m postponing all appointments until further notice,” said the post.
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