Residents of a shared Dunedin property will not be able to return for the foreseeable future after three had to be rescued when a fire tore through the first level. The inside of Melville Court, a shared home in Melville St, was gutted after a blaze broke out shortly after 7pm on Sunday, the property owner, who declined to be named, said. Three people had to be rescued by firefighters from the second storey after the blaze engulfed the lower level, she said. One person was left in a serious condition, but had since been discharged and was fit and well. None of the residents would be able to return for the foreseeable future, she said. “It doesn’t look like anything from the street, but there’s significant damage … we don’t know much, but it’s not habitable.” ©Allied MediaA fire investigator attends the aftermath of a blaze that tore through Melville Hall, in Melville St, on Sunday night. Photo: Peter McIntosh When the fire broke out, she had managed to rally around the community and find accommodation for all the displaced residents. The Dunedin Night Shelter had been “amazing” and offered to take in most of the residents for the night, she said. Some others had gone to family. “I think most of them have got accommodation from here on in, but in the short term, the night shelter can only take a certain amount of people … but by looking at it, no-one’s going to be living there any time soon.” Firefighters were called to the scene shortly after 7pm. Three fire trucks — from Dunedin, Roslyn and St Kilda — initially rushed to the scene, a Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesman said. “When crews arrived on scene, there were multiple people that required rescue,” he said. ©Allied MediaMelville Hall is a private house of residence. Photo: Peter McIntosh Three people were helped out of the burning building by firefighters and search and rescue procedures for an unaccounted fourth person began. By 7.50pm, a fourth person was located and everyone was declared out of the property. Firefighters worked to extinguish the large blaze and by 12.07am it was fully extinguished and crews were able to leave. Senior Sergeant Iain Notman said one patient had been taken to hospital and several others had refused treatment at the scene. A fire investigator was looking into the cause of the blaze. laine.priestley@odt.co.nz
