Neighbors flee as fire gutters St. Stephen’s Church in Ponsonby, Auckland

Neighbors rushed to get a woman who lived at the rear of Stephen’s Church out of her home when a major fire devastated the historic church in Auckland’s suburb of Ponsonby.

Olivia Kellow resides in the former minister’s home behind the city’s central church on Jervois Rd and said smoke started filling her home around 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

“The neighbors came running to tell us to get out and we spread the word to our street,” he said.

“By the time we got out of the house, smoke had entered the chimneys and open windows, and our smoke alarms were going off.”

Kellow said fire was coming out of the church windows and many people had stopped on the street to look.

“The wind was carrying the smoke north over our house. At 6pm we quickly returned to the house to take our essentials, as our house had too much smoke for us to stay,” he said.

Gray Lynn Fire Station Officer Shane Olsen said the fire team would stay for the next two hours to buffer hot spots.

This morning, thermal imaging cameras had been used to find hot spots on the roof and around the church.

The church service is held in the church hall adjacent to the main building today.

Olsen said investigators are expected to arrive at the scene around noon. The cause of the fire is still unknown.

Events were taking place at the church yesterday at the time the fire broke out, including a birthday party.

Emergency services rushed to the scene after a fire broke out at the 141-year-old church yesterday afternoon.

A Fire and Emergency spokeswoman said the cause of the fire was under investigation.

Smoke from the fire could have been seen from as far away as Auckland’s north shore.

At 5:45 p.m., 18 fire trucks had come to fight the fire, which was well lit but contained. At 8pm, crews were seen buffering critical points.

A Herne Bay resident, who wanted to be named just Anna, said neighbors were destroyed by the church fire.

“The church has been part of our community and has played an important role in the community,” he said.

“With its soup kitchen, fundraisers, and community events, it means a lot to the people who live here. I feel bitterly gutted that something like this happened.”

The church, opened in 1879, is a category 2 building made of kauri, according to the Heritage NZ website.

It was designed in the Neo-Gothic style by architect Edward Mahoney.

In 1907, a major extension was added in an Edwardian style influenced by the emerging Baroque style designed by architect Robert Martin Watt.