Kelburn house blaze contained but caution advised

Firefighters have contained a house fire in the Wellington suburb of Kelburn and are working to fully extinguish it.

Firefighters tackling the blaze earlier created a curtain of water to protect closely-set neighbouring homes from the flames.

Flames could be seen coming through the roofing iron of the home. The force of water from firefighters' hoses lifted sections of the roof, exposing blacked beams in the attic spaces above the structure.

Fire and Emergency said there was some smoke in the area and affected people should keep doors and windows shut and turn off air conditioning.

A family who lives a door down from the house has been evacuated from their home.

A woman said she saw flames and smoke soon after she woke from a nap.

After being told to evacuate by Fire and Emergency she said she was able to scramble to collect a few essential documents and clothes before fleeing her home.

The woman and her family were hopeful they will be able to return to their home later in the evening.

A police officer told residents there was no indication of any people in the building.

Nearby residents Penny and Ethan smelled burning from across the valley and when they looked outside saw "huge sheets of smoke and flames through a flat window about 150m away".

Local resident Julie said it was her impression that the house had been empty for a few months.

Meanwhile, Matt who mowed lawns at nearby properties said he saw the smoke and came to check it out.

"Just a lot of flames coming out one side of the house.

"And ... all the fire brigade working hard to get it all under control."

Fire and Emergency said crews were alerted about 2.40pm.

The house, down a steep bank above Aro Valley and off Plunket Street, was well ablaze when RNZ reporters arrived at the scene mid-afternoon.

People are advised to avoid the area to allow crews to put out the fire, while parents earlier were guiding school children homeward over a maze of hoses crisscrossing the street above the property.

An investigation into the cause of the fire will be carried out.