Dog lost in house fire

A woman’s dog has perished along with all of her possessions in a house fire early on Wednesday morning.

Fire and emergency were called to a blaze on the corner of Jacksons Rd and Ross Pde in Lyttelton at about 6.30am.

Lyn Edward and her husband Peter were roused from their sleep just after 6am by neighbours at the door warning them to “get organised and get the hoses ready.”

“If it had gone into the trees it could have been a lot worse for everybody,” Lyn said.

The Edwards did not know the occupant of the house but were relieved to hear she was okay.

Another neighbour, a former volunteer with Lyttelton Fire Brigade, raced out to their balcony when they heard the fire siren and saw the fire was well under way.

“I got a phone call from a mate watching from opposite the hill asking if I was on fire, then I raced down the driveway and on to the property, calling out if anyone was there. The house was engulfed in flames.”

Another neighbour informed them that the woman who lives there was not home.

The house and surrounding vegetation was extremely dry and there was a strong wind at the time of the fire.

“It was great to see the brigade get it quickly under control as it could have burned onto other properties.

“We are a tight community here and everyone watches out for each other so I was glad to hear the lady wasn’t there,” they said.