Last month, a notice of prohibition was issued to the former boardinghouse that had been destroyed by a morning fire. The reason for this is because there were concerns over demolition.
It is not known if the squatters who were living in a former Dunedin boardinghouse, which was being torn down after an 18-month-old fatal fire, made it out.
The first two fire engines were dispatched to the scene after smoke was reported coming from a large wooden building on Phillips Street around 6:30am Friday.
Pete Douglas of Fire Emergency New Zealand said that firefighters requested additional equipment after spotting ”large quantities of smoke’ from the house.
The command unit arrived on the scene after firefighters identified the possibility that there were people inside the building who had not been accounted for.
We are working now with police and fire investigators because there is still an unknown number that has not been found.
The property was in flames when firefighters with breathing equipment arrived. They worked hard to stop the flames spreading to nearby properties, including a board house.
A quick-thinking driver alerted the residents of this home to the fire.
Stuff was told by neighbours that although the building has been unoccupied for 18 months following a fatal fire, in which a man died, squatters have been living there.
Craig Ross, a nearby resident, said he saw a man in a construction suit “looking angry and swearing” and entering the house on the previous night.
The boardinghouse had previously been damaged by fire, and it was vacant. However, in the past few months, it appeared that squatters have moved into the building.
Ross did not fear for the safety of his belongings, but washed his car with water to “protect plastic bits”.
Douglas stated that it is too early to identify the cause of this fire, especially if an accelerator was used.
Douglas stated that the house was already well on fire when first arriving crews arrived. The blaze had also spread to neighbouring houses, with one suffering minor exterior damages and the other being severely damaged.
All the occupants in nearby houses have been evacuated safely.
The streets surrounding the area remain cordoned off.
A truck, involved in a separate incident, crashed into the powerlines at the intersection of King Edward St. and Wilkie Rd., which was less than 50 meters from the fire.
The cause of the fire is still unknown, and Police and FENZ are working together to determine if anyone was in the home at the start of the fire.
Investigators were using a drone to help them at the scene.
South Road between Eglinton Road & Princes Street is closed. King Edward Street between Wain Street & the Railway Overbridge.
The public was asked to stay away from the affected area.
Worksafe NZ told Stuff that an assessment was conducted at the property 1 September after concerns were raised by WorkSafe regarding unsafe work on heights and the demolition of the building.
Three days later a prohibition notice was sent to the company, ordering it to cease its dangerous work in height and check for asbestos.
The notice remains in effect because the company has not yet provided WorkSafe any information about how it would complete the job safely.
The spokesperson stated that ”WorkSafe does not know of any further demolitions or construction activities occurring on the property after the prohibition notice was issued”.
Owners have been contacted for comments.
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