The woman described the first part of the house as “completely gone”.
She said three people were inside the house at the time.
“A lady came out first and I called ‘fire’ and was screaming my lungs out at them for help.
“People quickly moved cars out the way and then the firefighters turned up within minutes.”
She said the home’s owner was at church and was notified of the blaze over the phone.
“The neighbourhood all turned up and helped and checked on things, so that was nice,” the woman said.
“They [owners] thanked us for getting help.
“I think things could have been a lot worse if we didn’t notice the smoke.”
A Fire and Emergency shift manager told the Herald three trucks, one specialist crew and a support vehicle were sent from Māngere, Onehunga, Ōtāhuhu and Ōtara.
The blaze at the single-level dwelling has since been extinguished.
Accompanying a photo circulating online of the damaged property, one person described the house as “completely destroyed”, while firefighters remained on the scene at 6pm.
Fire and Emergency said there were no reports of any people trapped, injuries or threat to neighbouring properties.
Police confirmed they assisted with traffic management.
Hato Hone St John has been approached for comment.