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Graeme Russell / Stuff
Smoke and flames rose from the roof of the abandoned building on Hereford St. The cause is now being investigated.
An abandoned, heritage-listed Christchurch villa included Peter Jackson’s home Celestial creatures The film has caught fire for the second time in 16 months.
Firefighters were called to the abandoned two-story Edwardian building on Hereford St at 5:20 a.m.
Residents of the properties on either side of the empty house were evacuated as a precaution, and the road was closed between Fitzgerald Ave and Barbadoes St.
The cause of the fire is now being investigated.
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Graeme Russell, who lives across the street from the building, said there was another smaller fire on the roof last year.
Graeme Russell / Stuff
The police and fire brigade were called around 5:20 a.m. M.
The building had been empty for at least two years and was often used by the homeless, he said.
Built in 1906, the “Weather Table Pattern Book” building is listed as a heritage site by the Christchurch City Council for its historical and social significance.
Renowned painters Philip Clairmont and Tony Fomison lived and worked there between 1971 and 1972, and Clairmont produced his first major works for after students on the property.
Things / Things
Firefighters controlled the blaze before damping the building.
The exterior of the house also appeared in 1994 Celestial creatures as the home of Pauline Parker. The building received “slight damage” in the Canterbury earthquakes.
Things Look for comments from the building owner.
