Fourteen fire trucks were called to battle a large fire at a block of flats on Devon Street in Wellington at about midnight.

As fire crews worked desperately to save a Wellington house engulfed in flames on Saturday night police officers had to be called to fend off students from "interfering" with trucks.

The fast-moving, difficult to reach fire started about 11.20pm on the bottom level of a three storey flat on Devon Street in Aro Valley.

Only two trucks could park on the narrow, windy Aro Valley road and the nine other trucks parked 200 metres away near Victoria University and were left unattended.

LUCY SWINNEN/FAIRFAX NZ Fire investigators at the scene of the house fire on Sunday.

"We needed our crews down where the actual fire was," Assistant Area Commander Scott Bell said.

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"We couldn't really spare anyone back up the top at the early stages."

LUCY SWINNEN/FAIRFAX NZ The bottom flat of 41 Devon Street, Aro Valley.

An officer reported concerns to Bell about a crowd of people gathering near the fire trucks.

"Being so close to the University there was a little bit of interference from people in the area," Bell said.

Bell had to call back-up from police to protect the trucks which were reportedly being targeted for the lockers, cones and equipment on the back of trucks.

LUCY SWINNEN/FAIRFAX NZ A fire truck on Devon Street on Sunday morning. More than 40 firefighters responded to the house fire on Saturday night.

He said the targeting of fire vehicles "seems to be common, particularly in student areas round the country".

"The safety and security of all our equipment is a concern."

Bell could not confirm if anything was stolen from the fire trucks but said the incident was a reminder that interfering with equipment was a chargeable offence.

LUCY SWINNEN/FAIRFAX NZ Front of the Devon Street house damaged by fire on Saturday night.

A police spokesperson confirmed at least two police units attended the scene but only in a crowd and traffic control role.

The blaze that was brought under control just after 1am.

No one was harmed in the fire.

Witnesses described flames spreading in a matter of minutes from the bottom storey of the three bedroom flat.

There were two occupants of the downstairs flat and only one was home when the fire started.

The Victoria University student said he was in his room when he smelled smoke and opened his door to see a huge fire in the lounge room

and "got the hell out of there".

He knocked on the doors of the flats above to warn everyone.

Executive Director of the New Zealand Union of Students' Association Alistair Shaw said he was "very disappointed" to hear students had been interfering with vehicles.

"Some students in their unsupervised drunken behaviour are putting the lives at risk of other students."

He said more pastoral care was need for students away from home.

The cause of the fire was being investigated on Sunday morning and it was not being treated as suspicious, Fire Risk Management Officer Bruce Cole said.

An electrical fire had not been ruled out, but

there "didn't appear to be any operable smoke alarms" in the house, he said.

With the switch over to daylight savings on Sunday, the New Zealand Fire Service is reminding Kiwi's to take the opportunity to check their smoke alarms are working.