PHOTO: Smoke visible from house in Oriental Bay. – Source: 1 NEWS
The house was a flat, but only one person was home at the time. He was uninjured.
The man declined to appear on camera, but told 1News he has only been in New Zealand for two weeks and all his belongings are inside.
He said he was inside his flat when the fire broke out in another room. He originally tried to put out the fire, but said the smoke became too strong.
He said he was unsure how the fire started.
At the peak of the fire there were six appliances on the scene at Grass Street in central Oriental Bay.
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