A large fire has destroyed part of a housing block at Burnham military camp in Canterbury, while a house has also been destroyed by fire in Rangiora.  

Three people - one in a serious condition - have been taken to hospital following the Burnham fire. 

Firefighters were called just after 2am to the blaze in a building on Toanui St, part of the Burnham army camp south of Christchurch. 

Fire and Emergency NZ shift manager Blair Walklin said multiple calls were received to a house on fire in the Burnham area. 

“When crews arrived, the house was well ablaze. A number of attached units also suffered damage,” Walklin said. 

The fire is now considered contained, but multiple fire appliances will remain at the scene into daylight. 

The cause of the fire is unknown and a fire investigator will be attending, he said. 

A fire investigator will be looking into the cause of the fire at Burnham military camp. Photo / George Heard 

Three patients were taken to hospital following the fire at Burnham military camp, Hato Hone St John said. 

One operations manager, two rapid response vehicles and three ambulances were sent to the scene, according to a spokesman from the ambulance service. 

They treated one patient in a serious condition and two in moderate condition, with all three taken to Christchurch Hospital, he said. Further queries were referred to police. 

Crews from nearby Rolleston, Dunsandel, Kirwee, Lincoln, Wigram, Ilam and Christchurch City were called to the fire. Photo / George Heard 

Crews from Rolleston, Dunsandel, Kirwee, Lincoln, Wigram, Ilam and Christchurch City have been fighting the fire. 

Photos from the scene show a section of the large two-storey weatherboard building has been gutted, with only charred, buckled framing and the roof remaining. 

Weatherboards are also blackened and windows smashed on the adjoining apartments. 

Burnham army camp is around 28km south of Christchurch. It hosts about 1300 military and civilian personnel, according to the NZ Defence Force website. 

The Herald has requested comment from police and the NZDF. 

House linked to murder catches ablaze in Rangiora 

Meanwhile, firefighters have also been dealing with a house fire in the nearby town of Rangiora since about 4am. 

The house, on the corner of Southbrook Rd and South Belt, was up for sale but has been razed to the ground. 

Video supplied to the Herald shows flames enveloping the historic villa and leaping metres into the air. 

The property is linked to the homicide investigation into the alleged murder of Richard Leman. This is at least the third fire at the property, after it was targeted by arsonists last year and allegedly firebombed with a Molotov cocktail in 2022.   

Firefighters battled a large house fire on Southbrook Road in Rangiora. Photo / Blake Benny 

Witness Peter Benny described the fire as a “huge bonfire”, with flames higher than the telephone poles when he spotted it 100m away. 

“It was huge...I stopped and I could feel the heat of the fire from the white line in the middle of the road.” 

Realising the neighbours were still asleep - and the windows on their house were heating up - Benny woke the neighbours, got them out of their house and onto the street. 

He told one resident to quickly grab her valuables. 

“I said to the lady, best get your cars out of the garage because if your house goes, your cars are gone too.” 

The Rangiora house is linked to the alleged murder of Richard Leman. Photo / Blake Benny 

The heat of the fire was what surprised him, Benny said - it appeared to have stopped the traffic lights from functioning. 

“From the middle of the road, you could have walked around in the undies, it was quite pleasant.” 

Benny said it was lucky he had been “in the right place at the right time”. 

Fenz shift manager Blair Walklin said multiple calls were received just after 4am and three local fire crews were sent to fight the fire. 

The house was well ablaze when they arrive and around 5.30am they were still working to extinguish the fire. 

The cause of the fire is unknown at this stage, he said. 

This article was originally posted on the NZ Herald here.