A fire that seriously damaged a Russell St, Dunedin, house on Saturday night is not being treated as suspicious.
The Fire Service was still trying to establish the cause of the 10.37pm blaze, which severely damaged the wooden villa.
Fire Safety officer Barry Gibson said it was lucky no-one was at home when the fire started, as it quickly consumed the lounge, the hallway and had started going into bedrooms.
It was another case where working smoke alarms would have been beneficial.
"If anyone had been home, they would have struggled to get out of those bedrooms."
Tenants often did not understand that it was up to them to make sure smoke alarms were maintained regularly, he said.
Residents of the area said the house had been a regular party house, with frequent visits from police.
Neighbours raised the alarm after seeing smoke billowing from the house.
Fire crews from Roslyn, St Kilda and City attended.
