Police investigate fatal Waikato blaze

Firefighters check for hot spots at the School Rd house in Netherton where Angus Nicholl perished in the early-morning blaze yesterday. Photo / Christine Cornege

Police and firefighters are investigating the cause of a house blaze that killed a man near Paeroa early yesterday morning.

The dead man had last night not been officially named but neighbours said Angus Nicholl owned and lived in the old villa on School Rd in Netherton, north of Paeroa.

Firefighters were called to the blaze about 4.45am but the house was well alight when they arrived.

Nearby dairy farmer Gavin Brewster said he arrived at the scene just before firefighters.

The 24-year-old and another neighbour raced around the house looking for a way in but they were stopped by intense heat and thick smoke.

"I should have taken a tractor down and just bowled through."

Bay-Waikato Fire Service assistant area manager Darryl Papesch said the flames started at the rear of the house, which contained a bedroom.

The home was gutted and it took 20 firefighters to bring the blaze under control. They returned at midday to damp down hotspots.

A friend of Mr Nicholl's arrived at the house while a forensic examination was being conducted and left flowers.

Another friend said Mr Nicholl was well known in the district and people would be shocked by his death.

"He was well liked. He didn't get offside with people. He was a good neighbour and was always there to help people out."

Police said it was too early to determine the fire's cause and they were treating it as suspicious. The scene was under guard overnight to allow forensic experts and investigators to continue their enquiries today.

"Those enquiries will be guided to a significant degree by the outcome of a post-mortem examination being carried out on the victim in Auckland tomorrow," said Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Whitehead.

Mr Nicholl was a relief milker who owned and leased out 20ha adjoining the house and had been in the community for at least 20 years.

A friend and former neighbour described Mr Nicholl, who was thought to be in his mid-50s, as a Christian man who was "always a bit of a gentleman".

Originally from England, Mr Nicholl had been married but separated from his wife three years ago and lived alone in the house.

He did not have any children.

Neighbours Daryl and Cathy Johnson said Mr Nicholl was a private man, who was safety-conscious and friendly.

"Our first encounter with them was when they knocked on our door with a cake to welcome us to the neighbourhood," Mrs Johnson said.

"We were the last house on the end near the T-junction and he said he couldn't live next to an intersection.

"I laughed because we had come from Auckland where there were 600 cars a day passing our house.

"It was always a bit of a standing joke," Mrs Johnson said.

Mr Nicholl had recently added a garage and hobby room, believed to house an extensive model tractor collection, to the property.

When Mrs Johnson talked to Mr Nicholl six weeks ago, he said he had a "new lady" in his life and they had been on holiday together in the South Island.

The Johnsons said Mr Nicholl was a non-smoker.