A man has described the moment a Whakatāne house went up in flames “so quickly”, with witnesses alerted by exploding windows as the fire consumed the home, and neighbours arming themselves with garden hoses to protect their own properties.

A 47-year-old man was arrested after the fire and would appear in the Whakatāne District Court today charged with arson and assault on a person in a family relationship, a police spokesman said.

“Thankfully, nobody was inside the house at the time. A scene guard is in place, and a fire investigator will be on site today.”

Neighbour Brendon Thomas lives behind the James St home, and was among the first to spot the fire after it began about 9.30pm.

A house fire in James St, Whakatāne, last night. Photo / Brendon Thomas

“I walked outside and I heard glass breaking. I looked up and the house was on fire. I couldn’t believe it.”

After telling his partner to call 111, Thomas ran to check if anyone was inside.

Neither the occupants nor their dogs were home, fortunate given the intensity of the fire within a minute of Thomas’ arrival after he scaled a wall and kicked down a gate to check no one was trapped.

“It just went up so quickly … [within a minute] it was too hot to be in the yard. It was that quick.”

Alarmed neighbours uses garden hoses to protect their own properties from the large fire. Photo / Brendon Thomas

Video of the fire also showed neighbours at the rear of the home using garden hoses to protect their own properties as flames reached metres into the air as flashing red lights could be seen through smoke at the front of the house.

The fire-damaged James St house pictured this morning. Photo / Brendon Thomas

Thomas, the owner of Paragon Cleaning Services, had a “quick checkup with the medical staff on site” after inhaling some smoke, he said.

“Great to have such an incredible team of volunteers protecting our communities from disasters like these. Heartbreaking for the owners of the home.”

The 28-year-old said he’d seen a couple at the property, but was unsure if others also lived there.