The next-door neighbour of two houses that caught fire in Wellington's Island Bay says "vicious" flames spread quickly in strong winds.
Fire and Emergency were called to an address on High Street - in the hills overlooking the coastal suburb - at 6.50pm on Monday.
One home was gutted and another severely damaged when fire - which started in a garage - leapt to nearby buildings.
Neighbour, Cathy Clegg said she was having a meal when she heard a loud "boom" from next door. Two more sharp explosions followed and Clegg rushed outside.
"I came out my front sliding door and there was all these people lining up and I could see the flames coming out of the garage," Clegg said
Clegg said the wind was blowing strongly across the hilltop street.
"The fire swept up, the flames were shooting up and arching over to the house next door. The wind was just whipping [the fire] up.
"I can't get the sight of the flames out of my mind. I saw them licking up and it took the top story. What a mess."
Clegg fled her own home with nothing but keys and a jacket when neighbours raised the alarmed.
She said she felt for her next door neighbours who were at home when the fire started.
The scene of the fire-damaged house on Tuesday. Photo: RNZ / Bill Hickman
"Everything was just destroyed. They wouldn't have got anything out of there, they wouldn't have had time," Clegg said.
A resident - who's home was severely damaged as flames spread to her home - was at the scene this morning and appeared distraught.
She declined to speak to RNZ but Clegg said she understood she was not home at the time of the fire.
Clegg said another neighbour rushed onto her property to rescue her dog as flames spread from the nearby garage.
Firefighters at the scene of a house fire in Island Bay on Monday. Photo: Zen Yates-Fill / RNZ
Another resident - who did not want to be named - said he watched as fire crews struggled in vain to stop the fire from spreading throughout the home on the property where the garage caught fire.
"They put out one room and then they'd go across - they'd put out that room - and then you see smoke and flames coming up in the other room again. So it's just intense heat," he said.
He said he counted seven fire trucks crammed into the steep and narrow street.
Fire crews brought the blaze under control shortly before 11pm and fire fighters remained at the scene overnight.
This morning a FENZ spokesperson said the cause of the fire was being investigated.
There were no reports of injuries in the blaze.
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