A fire has ripped through a homeless camp in Dunedin.
Fire and Emergency (FENZ) received multiple calls from the public about the blaze at The Oval, near Ardmore Drive, shortly before 8am.
Multiple tents caught fire, but paramedics only treated one person in a minor condition.
FENZ said the fire generated a lot of smoke, and crews had to spend time cooling down propane tanks at the site.
Dunedin Mayor Jules Radich said he drove straight to The Oval after hearing about the fire, which seemed to have started with pellets and spread to two nearby trees.
"Luckily, there was no tragedy. Someone easily could have been trapped or caught up and severely hurt by a fire such as this."
A fire at a homeless camp in Dunedin, 9 May 2025. Photo: Supplied
Radich said people had been camping at The Oval for a number of years, despite efforts from social services to rehouse them.
"There is continual turnover, but for some reason, you know, it's a reasonably convenient site close to the centre of town, so people keep coming there and camping."
He said council staff talked to the group on a regular basis, but the camp was "certainly not ideal from a council point of view, because of the proximity of young people playing sport".
"I'm certainly interested in discussing it further with the people who have the ability and the funding to be able to do something about it."
The oval where the fire broke out. Photo: RNZ / Tess Brunton
Incident underscores need for action
In a press release on Friday afternoon Radich said the incident underscored the urgent need for government action on homelessness.
He said government agencies had "regrettably" turned down his proposal to use a [https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/516846/holiday-park-bought-by-kainga-ora-for-4-point-15m-still-vacant-four-years-on
vacant property], owned by Kāinga Ora, as an accommodation hub.
"In the absence of wrap-around government action, various local social service organisations have been left to do what they can, working alongside the Dunedin City Council and other partners, to offer support for our homeless community," he said.
He said winter was a hard time for the homeless community, and their needs could be complex.
"The real solution here is government funding for suitable facilities that enable appropriate support services to meet a variety of needs, like we envisaged at Aaron Lodge."
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
