A fire which destroyed tents at the Oval homeless camp this morning appears to have started in a flue before spreading.
A Fire and Emergency NZ spokesman said emergency services received multiple calls from members of the public about 7.45am today.
Crews from St Kilda, Willowbank, Dunedin responded and found multiple tents on fire near Ardmore Dr, at the Oval.
Ambulance and police also responded to assist fire crews, he said.
Dunedin mayor Jules Radich said at the scene the council would be working to clear any fire damaged and hazardous items before people arrived to play sport tomorrow.
Mr Radich said while it seemed the fire started out as a contained blaze in a man’s flue, it had "certainly got well out of his control".
"Luckily, a tragedy did not occur . . . we’re pleased no one’s been fatally burnt."
The Fenz spokesman said fire had been extinguished and crews were working to make the area safe before leaving.
"They're just cooling down multiple propane cylinders before they leave the scene."
A Hato Hone St John spokeswoman said one ambulance and one operations manager attended the fire.
One patient, in a minor condition, was assessed and treated at the scene and no transport required, she said.
Mayor Radich said the situation at the oval was "very difficult, and just moving people on was not the solution".
"There needs to be a deeper solution — we'd like the social service agencies to be continuing to work on it."
"The answer is to have the government agencies working across the range of community needs for housing.
"They tend to work in their own swim lanes, and we're not dealing with lane swimming, we're dealing with a game of water polo.
"I lament being prevented from using Aaron Lodge as accommodation for emergency, transitional and social housing," he said.
