One of the owners of a Petone cafe that went up in flames this morning says he at first tried to put the fire out himself with a garden hose.

Matt Wilson is the part owner of House of Good Fortune cafe and coffee roastery. He told the Herald he was at the cafe this morning when smoke began to “pour in” through the skylights.

“It’s an old villa, so the fire started in the ceiling...it got incredibly smoky incredibly quickly.”

Wilson said he rushed to get the garden hose to try to extinguish the flames himself but it “didn’t do much”. All staff inside the cafe at the time of the fire had got out safely, and Wilson said they were currently all waiting at his house for the all-clear to return to the building and see the damage.

Wilson told the Herald the fire is a bit of deja vu, after another cafe he owns - Maranui Cafe - burned down 15 years ago. He said it was too early to know how damaged the building was, as firefighters were still on site but he will talk to other coffee roasteries in the region to see if he can continue to roast his coffee.

He praised the firefighters, saying they were “incredible”.

“It’s an old building, built in 1915 and it’s dry as so it could have just gone up in seconds.”

He expressed his gratitude for the Fire and Emergency crews who showed up quickly after receiving multiple calls about a building on fire.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand shift manager Carlos Dempsey said the fire broke out inside House of Fortune cafe just after 11am and was “well involved” by the time crews arrived.

Fire crews on site in Petone. Photo / Newstalk ZB

Dempsey said the five trucks are accompanied by an aerial appliance - a truck with a ladder - which was used to gain access to the roof, where the flames had spread.

The fire is now under control, but not fully extinguished so crews will remain on site for some time.

There is no threat to other buildings in the surrounding area, and no reports of injuries.