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Woman pledges for help before fire tragedy

Monday 4 March 2013, 1:07PM

By NP Linked Taranaki

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Flames seen billowing from Wellington house fire
Flames seen billowing from Wellington house fire Credit: Fairfax NZ

LATEST: A elderly woman living in Wellington has died in a house fire which is being called a 'fire tragedy'

infonews.co.nz can reveal she screamed for help as she was burned to death.

"It was a help, help, help as loud as she could," neighbour Vivienne Boyle said.

"I knew she was elderly and it was going to be a hell of a job to get out of there.

"It was one of the scariest things I've ever seen..."

The elderly woman was the only person to die in the fire which saw six fire trucks rush to the scene.

A command unit responded to the fire aswell at the house in Woodhouse Ave, Wellington.

When the fire service arrived at the home they told infonews.co.nz "The fire was already up in smokes"

Woodhouse Ave resident Jillian Boyd said she watched as the fire took hold in the second storey of the house.

"It was just horrific to watch. I'm still shaking," she said.

111 callers said by 11.34am the fire was 'well involved'

A police spokesperson told infonews.co.nz "The bodily is not easily identifiable."

It is understood an elderly couple lived at the home.

The fire had since been extinguished and hotspots were being dampened down.

A Wellington Free Ambulance spokeswoman said two people who tried to go into the house while it was on fire had been treated at the scene for minor smoke inhalation.

It was unknown if they were firefighters, she said.

The area around the body had been cordoned off and a Fire Service investigator, who would determine the cause of the fire, was working at the scene.

Astor St resident Gus Salla was out walking when he saw the blaze.

"You could tell by the colour [of the smoke] it wasn't an ordinary fire.

Smoke was seen rising from the suburb from central Wellington.

Residents in town told infonews.co.nz "The fire looked ****ing large. We were outside near the viaduct and you just knew it was massive"

"It looked like a tragedy."

It is not known yet why the fire started and where.

Investigations are underway at the home.