Fire and Emergency New Zealand is pleading with property owners to install multiple fire alarms after a fatal Dunedin house fire was only detected by a passing pedestrian.
Fire appliances from St Kilda, Dunedin, Lookout Point and Roslyn were called to the Highcliff Rd incident about 9.20am on Tuesday, and Dunedin police later confirmed one person had died as a result.
Fenz Otago district assistant commander Craig Geddes said the fatality was a "tragic event".
"We were alerted to this fire as a result of a passer-by.
"There was no smoke alarm activation to draw anybody’s attention to the property.
"It was just someone walking past who smelt the smoke and saw it coming out from underneath the eaves.
"So the message for the public is, having working smoke alarms in your lounge, hallway and bedrooms will ensure that you are alerted to any fire and keep you safe."
Asked if fire alarms would have saved the Highcliff Rd occupant, he said it was difficult to say.
"In general, there’s a higher likelihood of survival if you’ve got working smoke alarms."
He said two fire investigators had completed a scene investigation in conjunction with the police, but the cause of the fire was still to be determined.
"With an analysis conducted at the scene, they are considering all those circumstances and they’ve still got a fair bit of work to do in that space just yet."
The fire in Highcliff Rd was one of three major house fires in Dunedin over the past week.
Mr Geddes said there was another house fire about 5pm the same day in Orchard Grove, East Taieri.
"That was another significant fire.
"It was in the roof and it went from one end of the house to the other."
He said gaining access to the fire was difficult and the property was extensively damaged.
Fenz investigators were also looking into the cause of that fire.
