A boat was engulfed in flames overnight close to the Auckland suburb of Beach Haven, with residents hearing loud bangs as the vessel caught fire. 

Residents in Beach Haven, Hobsonville and Greenhithe reported on social media they were woken by loud explosions from the boat, which was reportedly on a mooring near the Beach Haven wharf. 

A strong smell of smoke wafted over the coastal suburbs as the fire engulfed the ship. 

Firefighters aboard the police launch Deodar docked at Beach Haven wharf after battling a boat fire between Beach Haven and Hobsonville Point overnight. Photo / Hayden Woodward 

Emergency services were called around 12.50am to multiple reports of a boat on fire, Fire and Emergency northern shift manager Lauren Sika said. 

When firefighters arrived the boat was “fully involved” in fire. 

The fire crew responded with police on the water, Sika said. 

“All persons were accounted for.” 

Firefighters aboard the police launch Deodar have battled a boat fire in the channel between Beach Haven and Hobsonville Point overnight. Photo / Hayden Woodward 

The crew worked to extinguish the fire with a low-pressure delivery system and a portable pump. 

Sika could not comment on why the fire was logged as a “hazardous substance” call on Fire and Emergency’s incident reports page. 

The Herald has requested further comment from police.