A fireman atop the roof of the house during a callout to what was thought to be a chimney fire yesterday. Photo by Christina McDonald.
The red zone is a high-risk fire area of urban and rural land between Bobs Cove and Arthurs Point, subject to a total fire ban year-round. The area is monitored by the Department of Conservation.
Senior Station Officer Doug McKay was the second officer to arrive on the scene at Alpine Retreat and said the incident was probably caused by a chimney fire which got into the roof space.
"We are unsure of what caused the fire but that's what it appeared to be. It was put out very quickly.
"It was determined early on that it was contained and there were no threats."
Two fire appliances from Queenstown and one from Frankton attended the fire.
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