Firefighters rescued a trapped man from a burning house in Auckland overnight, according to the firefighters union.
Firefighters smashed their way into a house in the Auckland suburb of Ōrākei to rescue a man in his 20s.
"The first fire firefighters to arrive from Parnell station found the house well ablaze," the union said in a statement. "The man was sleeping and woke to fire. He became disoriented in smoke and could not escape."
The man was taken to hospital by ambulance.
It used the incident to argue that staffing levels were too low amid industrial strike action to call for better working conditions.
The union said the "career firefighters" who rescued the man were from Parnell fire station, but that there weren't enough to keep the station running on Saturday.
READ MORE: Pro firefighters' union weeks away from walking off the job
Union members have begun industrial strike action after 96% rejected the latest offer from Fire and Emergency. (Source: 1News)
Members of the union began industrial strike action in the past week, after an overwhelming majority rejected the latest pay offer from Fire and Emergency NZ after almost a year of bargaining.
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