Two young boys feared dead in Christchurch house fire were 'full of life', neighbour says

July 15, 2020

Eddie Rodden says the community has been left traumatised by the Burwood house fire.

Two people have died following a house fire in Christchurch last night.

A Fire and Emergency spokesperson told 1 NEWS they were called to the Burwood address at 10.42pm.

The blaze has since been extinguished. However, the property was severely damaged. 

Neighbours who know the family told 1 NEWS they believe it was two young boys who had died. Authorities were unable to confirm details about the victims. 

Firefighters battled the blaze in Burwood late last night.

Residents of Vivian St say it's been a night full of commotion for the usually quiet street, and they weren't able to get much sleep with ambulances, fire engines and police officers coming and going from around 11pm yesterday.

Neighbour Eddie Rodden, a former firefighter who has been living in the same house for almost 40 years, told 1 NEWS the children were "good boys, full of life", adding that it had been "a traumatic 24 hours".

The blaze has left the Burwood community in shock.

"Any loss of life is traumatic, you know? It's terrible," he said. 

Mr Rodden said he had pulled back the curtain after hearing noises to discover emergency services and a large amount of smoke coming from the house. 

A police car sits outside a cordon near a home where two people died in a fire last night in Christchurch.

He said a woman who he believed to be the boys' mother was "quite distressed" following the incident.

One fire crew remains at the scene battling hot spots and a fire investigator was set to arrive this morning to determine the cause of the blaze.

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