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JOHN WEEKES / Stuff
The walls collapsed as firefighters battled one of the South Island fires. (Generic photo)
West Coast firefighters had a busy night fighting two separate fires that severely damaged homes in Ross and Westport.
A New Zealand Fire and Emergency spokeswoman said the first fire on Aylmer St in Ross was called around 2.20am Sunday morning.
A team from Ross and two from Hokitika were dispatched to shut down the “well-involved” 100-square-meter single-story house.
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The spokeswoman said the house was “badly damaged” by the fire. There was no one there at the time.
The fire was under control at 6 a.m., although at 7:30 a.m., a couple of crew members remained on site to monitor critical points.
The cause of the fire is unknown and a fire investigator will investigate it Sunday. He is currently not being treated as a suspect.
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A second fire in an abandoned home on Queen St in Westport was called around 4.50 a.m., the spokeswoman said.
Two trucks were dispatched from Westport, but the alert level was raised before they arrived after FENZ received more calls about the fire. Additional crews from Waimangaroa and Granity were also dispatched.
The spokeswoman said the damage to this home was also extensive. Parts of the building collapsed as crews battled the fire.
Everything indicated that they did not live in the abandoned building of 150 square meters.
The teams were still in place at 6.30am. M.
The cause is unknown and a fire investigator will investigate it Sunday.
