A "pretty massive" fire in Dunedin's student quarter last night may have been caused by an e-scooter rider doing burnouts.
Crews responded to the fire, on Harbour Terrace, just off Dundas St, about 8pm, arriving to find the property well ablaze, a Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) spokeswoman said.
Appliances were sent from Willowbank and Dunedin, and these were joined by crews from St Kilda and Roslyn.
While it was initially feared there were people inside the property, a full search by firefighters found it to be empty.
Several people contacted the Otago Daily Times to say a person was seen riding an e-scooter into the house and doing "burnouts" inside before people fled the building.
One witness said they were having drinks there and someone brought a scooter into the house.
"They started doing burnouts in the hallway. The house first smelt of smoke from the tyres, then shortly after I was rushed out and people were saying there was a fire."
The Fenz spokeswoman was unable to confirm the cause of the blaze, or the extent of any damage to the property.
She said the fire was extinguished by about 10.30pm.
A police spokesperson this morning said a scene guard was in place while a fire investigator worked to determine the cause and whether the fire was suspicious.
They said no injuries had been reported, and no arrests had been made.
A University of Otago spokeswoman today confirmed the occupants of the house were students.
“The university has arranged emergency accommodation for those affected students, with their meals being provided by one of our colleges,” she said.
Senior leaders were also offering direct support, she said.
Fire 'pretty massive'
University of Otago fourth year student Te Koha Jansen lives across the road from the building, which was divided into three flats, and watched the fire from his living room window last night.
A “loud snapping cracking noise”, which he initially thought could be someone smashing bottles, alerted him to the blaze.
“I could see the [whiteware], like, exploding and setting alight,” he said.
“They were popping and the gas tanks were exploding and catching.”
He called 111 before going outside to see if he could help.
He brought out chairs from his home and made tea for the “rattled” people who had been inside.
“I just feel extremely bad for everyone involved,” he said.
He suspected a hoard of household appliances outside the house may have contributed to the fire and he understood they belonged to the landlord.
The house had been quiet before the fire, he said.
A third year University of Otago student who lived in the area, and who wished to remain anonymous, said the property had lots of junk and appliances around.
It was a "mysterious house”, he said.
The fire was “pretty massive”, he said and he could see it from Albany St last night.
Another third year student had also noticed the cluster of whiteware outside the property.
“We made the assumption, our flat at least, that it was probably like an electrics fire just because they had so many appliances,” she said.
“It was a lot more than six washing machines. They had like 10 trillion fridges and stuff.”
She lived on the same street as the fire and could not drive her car down the street because of the cordon.
Fourth year Otago University students Jonathan McCabe and Sam Woolcott lived nearby and walked past the house last night.
“It's amazing how quick it happened,” Mr McCabe said.
Mr Woolcott agreed.
“We literally got to the hockey turf and we turned around and it's ablaze,” he said.
But fire crews were on the scene very rapidly the pair said.
“It was really dramatic. It was crazy.. . Water was gushing down the street. It was very impressive work,” Mr McCabe said.
They had also seen the household appliances on the property, and said they had been there for years.
“If you look into the backyard, it looks like a hoarder spot,” Mr Woolcott said.
They understood the landlord was storing the items there.
- additional reporting ODT Online
