One person was taken to hospital following a house fire in Konini St on Thursday evening.
Fire and Emergency NZ shift supervisor Andrew Norris says they were called to the fire shortly after 9.30 pm.
"The house was well involved when the Nelson units arrived so they called in two more."
Four crews spent 40 minutes extinguishing the fire but remained at the scene for three and a half hours.
Andrew says the sole occupant of the house was taken to hospital with smoke inhalation.
He says the fire originated in the kitchen and there were no working smoke alarms in the house.
FENZ Area Commander Grant Haywood says the fire started after cooking was left unattended in the kitchen.
"This is another example of just how easy it is to get distracted while you’re cooking - whether it be by your computer, the television, a quick nap, the door or chores, and how quickly that can lead to a devastating fire," says Grant.
"The house in Nelson did not have working smoke alarms so it was lucky the resident smelt the smoke and got out," he says.
"We say it a lot but working smoke alarms do save lives."
Andrew says he has two messages for residents - make sure you have working smoke alarms throughout your home and "keep looking when you're cooking".
Smoke alarms are available free of charge for people who may struggle with the cost, see the
FENZ website
for more information.
