A man driving past the scene of a deadly house fire in Auckland this morning recounted the moment he assisted the lone survivor in escaping the flames.
The blaze, which erupted at 6:55 am in Hillpark, claimed the lives of two individuals. Jonathan Asafo, who was driving his son to daycare, noticed the fire at the Freshney Place property and quickly acted to help.
‘I just happened to drive down at the same time as the fire and saw the whole house was on fire,’ Asafo told legacy medai. He reversed his car up to the driveway and honked the horn to alert anyone inside.
Asafo then ran to alert the neighbours and went around the burning house, where he found the survivor exiting through a side door. ‘He said he had two other mates upstairs. They unfortunately didn’t make it.’
The survivor, a man in his 20s, was taken to Middlemore Hospital in serious condition. Asafo described the intensity of the fire, noting that the doors and window frames had melted by the time he arrived.
Brendan Irwin, Assistant Commander for Manukau Fire and Emergency, confirmed the deaths and noted that investigators are working with police to determine the fire’s cause. Neighbour Rowena Knill, who called the fire department at 6:54 am, described the fire’s rapid spread and the community’s shock and sadness.
‘It’s pretty upsetting—especially for the family. They’re obviously social; they always had family gatherings. It’s a sad morning for our street.’
