A Tongan family narrowly escaped being trapped in a fearsome blaze at their home in Gate Pa today, when a fire started in a back bedroom.
The couple and their young child were in the lounge with a male relative, when someone noticed the smell of smoke.
The two men went to investigate, and on finding fire, attempted to put it out.
The woman rushed outside with her young son and called emergency services.
Tauranga Fire Brigade acting senior station officer Nigel Liddicoat said it was not yet known how the fire started, but it began in a back bedroom and the heat set fire to the garage.
The garage was extensively damaged, as were two back bedrooms, and the rest of the house was badly smoke damaged and left blackened.
Neighbours rallied around the distressed occupants, who watched on from the side of the road.
For more details, see tomorrow's Bay of Plenty Times
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