Electrical fire in Napier sparks safety message for homeowners

An electrical fire has sparked a warning from Napier firefighters that now is a good time to brush up on fire safety.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) shift manager Murray Dunbar said two fire trucks from Napier responded to a fire under a house at 12.24pm on Friday, June 7.

Firefighters reportedly had the fire under control by 12.57pm.

A witness said they saw two fire appliances with their lights on parked on Creagh St when he drove past about 1.30pm.

He said “a bunch” of people were milling around the scene, but he could not see any smoke.

Napier Station officer Dan Nesbit said a specialist fire investigator determined that the cause of the fire was electrical and started on the outside of the building.

He said it was important to have working smoke alarms and an escape plan in place to ensure the safety of occupants.

“Make sure you don’t overload power points or multi-boxes, especially when using heaters or large appliances during winter.”

Nesbit reported that there was only a small amount of damage to the building.