Police said a 72-year-old Reading St resident was trying to kill a mud wasp with a lit blow torch at the property when the wasp flew into a seepage hole in the brickwork.

It is believed the man held the blow torch to the seepage hole for about 10 seconds.

The resident left the house and, upon his return a short time later, saw smoke and fire.

A woman in the house was taken to hospital suffering smoke inhalation.

Firefighters in two engines from the Port Macquarie station rushed to the address on at 6.42pm.

On arrival, the emergency service personnel discovered the insulation between the outer brick wall and interior wall of the property had caught fire.

Firefighters removed a number of the dwelling’s interior walls to allow them to fight the fire.

It took two hours for the blaze to be fully extinguished.

The woman was later released from the Port Macquarie Base Hospital.

Port Macquarie’s firefighters then were called to a car fire in Surf St.

Investigations into the cause of the 2.40am blaze are continuing.