Emergency services responded to a house fire in north Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland on Saturday evening.
The fire broke out just before 6:30pm, at a Takapuna property at the intersection of Barrys Point Rd and Anzac St.
Police have since closed a section of Anzac St (between Barrys Point Rd and Auburn St).
A firefighter at the scene told Newshub it appeared anyone inside the home at the time had escaped.
Crowds had gathered on the street to watch the unfolding situation, while plumes of thick black smoke could be seen from kilometres away.
"The smell is thick even as far as Takapuna Grammar," one person wrote on local social media pages.
"I can smell it. I thought I forgot to turn my stove off," another said.
