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A couple and their three children have “lost absolutely everything” after a major fire started in a home in the Portobello suburb of Dunedin, threatening nearby homes and prompting mass evacuations.
About 25 people and a couple of dogs have been evacuated from neighboring properties due to high winds.
The owner of the home, Heather Morris, said she was devastated by the loss of the home.
He said the house was a rental where a couple had been living with their three children.
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Paul Le Comte / Supplied
The family has lost everything.
“They’ve lost absolutely everything,” Morris said. “And now they have to find a place to live. All the children go to school here. We are absolutely devastated.”
The family is from Dunedin and will likely stay with the family, he said.
A New Zealand Fire and Emergency spokeswoman said emergency services were called in to the “significant” house fire on Beaconsfield Rd near the Otago harbor around 4.30pm on Saturday.
Evacuee Jamie Ledbetter was on a date with her husband at a nearby bistro when they could see smoke billowing near their home around 5 p.m.
“We were confused, we didn’t know where the fire was … It was terrifying.”
The couple rushed home to check that their two children, who were being cared for, were okay.
Paul Le Comte / Supplied
The fire at the home in Portobello, Dunedin, is put out by the fire team.
He said it was an anxious time, but everyone was out of their homes, even though a nearby neighbor’s bush caught fire.
The Otago Peninsula Community Board opened the Coronation Hall about 250 meters north of the fire location for evacuees.
About 25 people and their pets were evacuated from a dozen homes, said Peninsula Community Board President Paul Pope.
They will remain at Portobello’s Coronation Hall until cleared. He said emergency services made the decision to evacuate nearby houses just after 5 pm, when the winds were strong and the fire was “quite involved.”
“We are sitting here having a cup of tea and waiting for news from the fire service.”
Local board member Lox Kellas said the evacuees were mostly families and he was grateful there were no injuries.
Paul Le Comte / Supplied
Firefighters fight the Portobello fire.
“We are waiting for the authorization of the fire service so that they return to their homes … I understand that the fire is 80% controlled and it only has to be mitigated.”
Meanwhile, evacuees were given cups of tea as they eagerly awaited news.
He said some evacuees had chosen to stay with family or friends.
Seven fire trucks attended.
Otago Civil Defense and Emergency Management advises anyone who has been evacuated due to the fire to go to Coronation Hall on Portobello Rd for assistance. The Portobello Bowling Club at 5 Sherwood St was also receiving evacuees.
SUPPLIED
Emergency services are tending to a fire in Portobello.
There is a strong wind warning for Dunedin. MetService predicted that northwesterly winds would change to a southwesterly gale early in the afternoon, with severe gusts of 120 km / h.
A Dunedin resident said there were downed trees “throughout the show” and high winds.
Meghan Hughes, the keeper of Kamau Taurua / Quarantine Island in the port of Otago, who looks directly at Portobello, said that even though she was some distance away she could see smoke.
“The size and speed of the smoke were really concerning. Today is so dry and incredibly windy and I was concerned about the ease with which the fire could have spread much further into the wind. “
