The fire station closest to where a person died in a fierce fire at Burnham Military Camp was unmanned when it broke out.
A 16-year-old girl died in the fire south of Christchurch, which started just after 2am on Wednesday morning, and three others were injured, police said.
The death has been reported to the coroner.
Of the three people taken to Christchurch Hospital, two have been released. The third is in a moderate but stable condition.
Police and fire investigators had completed a local investigation, Detective Sergeant Brent Menzies said.
“Enquiries are ongoing but police do not believe the fire is suspicious at this stage.”
Police, fire and emergency department investigators are working to determine the cause of the fire.
The New Zealand Defense Force confirmed that Burnham Military Fire Station was unmanned at the time of the fire, meaning the first station able to attend was from Rolleston at 2.23am, 11 minutes after it received the call to attend to be.
The Burnham Military Camp fire marshal arrived on scene at 2:40 a.m. in a command vehicle that does not have fire suppression capabilities, the report said.
The Defense Force said the military station had been operating at reduced capacity since January this year.
“This is partly due to the need to provide respite for staff, as well as low emergency response staffing levels,” a spokesperson said.
“That's why staff provide coverage between 8am and 4:30pm, Monday to Friday.”
The decision to operate with reduced coverage was consulted and supported by fire and emergency area commanders, the Defense Force said.
It said the Memorandum of Understanding between the Defense Force and FENZ ensured that FENZ provided coverage during periods of reduced Defense Force coverage.
“The Burnham Emergency Response Troop retains the capability to support a local FENZ response to major events and/or emergencies during discrete periods, such as during the response to the Port Hills fires earlier this year. That response was supported by two NZDF Rural Fire Appliances and up to six firefighters on rotation daily,” the report said.
The Defense Force has warned the government that it is in a dire state, describing it as vulnerable, and the navy as extremely vulnerable.
Witness remembers hearing “a lot of screaming.”
A woman who lives in a home at Burnham Military Camp witnessed the fire and said she was woken by the sound of screaming.
The resident, who RNZ declined to name, said it was just after 2am when she rushed outside.
“By the time I got out, everything was on fire from below, and you could hear a lot of screaming from the road, from a lady,” she said.
“It was quite disturbing, we didn't know if anyone was in the house.
It was upsetting that I couldn't help, she said.
“We all stood together on the street to check on each other, and after a while the fire brigade and police arrived.”
She said locals had been feeling restless since then.
“Everyone helps each other and helps each other out. We have received support from Defense and the police.'