• A man credits his son for saving lives during a house fire in Auckland’s Ōrākei.
• The son alerted his father and helped them and a friend escape the blaze.
• One person was hospitalised with severe burns; the fire is not being treated as suspicious.

A man who escaped from a house fire in Ōrākei yesterday morning credits his son for saving him and his friend’s life after their house rapidly caught fire.

Emergency services were called to the blaze on Tautari St at around 9.45am on Sunday, with one person taken to hospital in a serious condition after suffering severe burns.

Black smoke could be seen billowing into the skies over Auckland’s Waitematā Harbour as the flames rapidly spread.

Bernie Hardiman’s son, who was visiting from Australia for the school holidays, was in a bedroom on the property with him when he asked his father if he could smell smoke.

When Hardiman said that he couldn’t, his son went into the main bedroom to find it on fire. He proceeded to sound the alarm, and the pair escaped out the back door, while his friend escaped from the front.

Hardiman’s friend also kept his dog in the main bedroom with him, although he was able to escape when Hardiman’s son opened the door.

“[My son] got praises from the fireman. They said, ‘Your boy did really well’ ... he went in there and saved the dog, for starters,” Hardiman told the Herald.

“He did everything a kid under pressure was supposed to do. He remained calm, he ran outside shouting ‘Fire! Fire!”

Hardiman said the fire crew asked his son how he knew what to do during a fire emergency, and was told they get taught at Australian schools how to respond.

One person was taken to hospital in a serious condition after a house fire in Ōrākei, Auckland, on April 13.

“He was the one who said, ‘Dad, do you smell smoke?’ ... He was the one who went to the door, opened up the door and saw the fire in the room.”

“I’m very proud of him for that,” Hardiman added.

With his son only there temporarily, Hardiman said he was lucky to have grabbed a bag that contained his wallet and their passports.

“He flew over last Saturday for the school holidays and he’s due to go back Sunday next week, and he wouldn’t have been able to go anywhere without [it].”

But with the flames now out, Hardiman said there’s little else left to salvage.

“Everything’s lost,” he said.

Yesterday, Fire and Emergency New Zealand said fire crews from Remuera, Parnell and St Heliers stations were sent to respond to an incident at a residential address.

Upon arrival, the house was found to be “well-involved” in flames.

Hato Hone St John sent two vehicles and said two people received medical treatment at the scene.

One person was transported to Middlemore Hospital in a serious condition, while another was treated by Hato Hone St John at the address.

By 11.30am, Fire and Emergency said the fire had been suppressed, and the crew were “monitoring the situation”.

In an update at 3.30pm, Fire and Emergency said investigators had wrapped up work for the day.

The fire is not being treated as suspicious.

Tom Rose is an Auckland-based journalist who covers breaking news, specialising in lifestyle, entertainment and travel. He joined the Herald in 2023.