The person who died in the Burnham military camp fire was a teenage girl

The person killed in an early morning fire at Burnham Military Camp in Canterbury was a teenage girl.

The teenager died and three others – one in a serious condition – are in hospital after a major fire that destroyed part of a residential block in the camp about 2am today.

Firefighters were called to the building, which is part of the army camp south of Christchurch.

FENZ incident controller Dave Berry told Stuff a teenage girl had died in the fire.

He also said that the Burnham Military Camp fire brigade was unmanned last night, meaning the first station that could attend was from Rolleston.

Berry told Stuff it was “unlikely” the manned Burnham station would have made a difference as the house was already “well involved” when the first reports were made.

Berry said that by the time firefighters arrived, the fire was so intense that they were unable to enter the building for about two hours.

When they entered, they found the teenage girl in one of the bedrooms.

Burnham camp commander Major Julie Richardson said the fire took place in a New Zealand Defense Force (NZDF) compound outside the military camp perimeter.

Richardson could not confirm whether the property was occupied by defense or non-military personnel. Some homes in the area were occupied by non-NZDF tenants and their properties were managed by commercial property owners.

“Our thoughts are with the whānau who have lost a family member, and with everyone affected by today’s fire,” Richardson said.

“New Zealand Defense Force welfare homes have been opened to residents, and support is being provided to all those affected – including through Defense Community Facilitators and Burnham’s Chaplain.

“While the housing at Burnham Military Camp is owned by the NZDF, some are occupied by NZDF personnel and some are rented out by non-NZDF personnel.”

The cause of the fire had not been determined.

Detective Sergeant Brent Menzies confirmed shortly after 4pm that a body had now been removed and would undergo a formal identification process.

That is “expected to take some time.”

Fire investigators were expected to continue their work at the scene on Thursday.

“Police have referred the death to the coroner, on behalf of whom we are continuing the investigation. Police extend our condolences to the family and friends of the deceased to whom we are providing support and will continue to be kept informed of the investigation.”

Earlier, Fire and Emergency NZ southern shift manager Blair Walklin said multiple calls had been received to the fire in the Burnham area.

“When emergency services arrived, the house was on fire. A number of connected units also suffered damage,” Walklin said.

The fire is now considered under control.

The cause of the fire was unknown. A fire investigator would be present, he said.

Police investigators are on the scene this morning, as are military police and an NZDF fire crew.

Police have confirmed that one person died in the fire, while three patients were taken to hospital, according to Hato Hone St John.

Police confirm that one person died in the fire.

Three patients were taken to hospital, Hato Hone St John said.

According to a spokesperson for the ambulance service, one operations manager, two rapid response vehicles and three ambulances were sent to the scene.

They treated one patient in a serious condition and two in a moderate condition. All three were taken to Christchurch Hospital, he said.

The police said in a statement that a scene watch was present and that the circumstances surrounding the fire were being investigated.

Crews from Rolleston, Dunsandel, Kirwee, Lincoln, Wigram, Ilam and Christchurch City battled the fire.

Photos from the scene show part of the large two-story wood-plank building has been gutted, leaving only the charred, buckled framing and roof.

The exterior planks of the adjacent apartments have also been blackened and the windows have been smashed.

The Burnham camp is located about 28 kilometers south of Christchurch and is home to about 1300 military and civilian personnel, according to the NZ Defense Force website.

House linked to murder burns in Rangiora

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

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

Video provided to the Herald shows flames enveloping the historic villa and leaping meters into the air.

The property is related to the murder 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 reportedly bombed with a Molotov cocktail in 2022.

Witness Peter Benny described the fire as a “big bonfire”, with flames higher than the telephone poles when he saw the blaze 100 meters away.

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

Realizing that the neighbors were still asleep – and the windows of their house were getting warm – Benny woke the neighbors, took them out of their house and went out into the street.

He told a resident to quickly grab her valuables.

“I said to the lady, it’s best to get your cars out of the garage, because if your house breaks down, your cars are gone too.”

It was the heat of the fire that surprised him, Benny said; it seemed that the traffic lights were no longer functioning.

“From the middle of the road you could have walked around in your underwear, it was quite fun.”

Benny said he was lucky to be “in the right place at the right time.”

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

The house was already ablaze when they arrived and at around 5:30 am they were still putting out the fire.

The cause of the fire is not known at this time, he said.