Dunsandel firefighter Al Sheppard said the tiny home on Karanga Rd had burnt to the floor by the time they arrived at 6.08am on Sunday. A car parked next to it was also on fire.
It took units from Dunsandel, Hororata and Rakaia five minutes to contain the fire. They were unable to determine what caused it at the time.
A Hato Hato St John spokesperson said ambulance staff treated one person at the scene before transporting them to Christchurch Hospital.
Meanwhile, a shower almost turned into disaster after a faulty heat lamp caught fire at a Lincoln property.
A mother and daughter were inside the Liffey Pl property when the heat lamp burst into flames in the bathroom on King’s Birthday.
Lincoln deputy chief fire officer Tim Quinlivan said the mother was about to have a shower when she turned on the heat lamp then left the room for five minutes.
Once she came back and noticed the heat lamp on fire, she alerted her daughter, and they shut the door to the bathroom and bedrooms to prevent smoke from spreading. The mother then called 111.
Quinlivan said the fire was out on arrival.
The flames had burnt through the ceiling and melted a water pipe, which put out the blaze.
He said the bathroom was the only room damaged, thanks to the pair’s quick thinking.
If they hadn’t closed the door to the bathroom, there would have been a risk of the fire spreading.
Quinlivan said they were not able to determine how the lamp caught fire as it was burnt beyond recognition. He said it was old and well used.
He advised all people with heat lamps to do regular maintenance, as dust build-up and a malfunctioning fan could contribute to lamps potentially over-heating and causing a fire.
By Isabella Adams
