A Tongan family forced from their Whangarei home by a house fire have found temporary refuge in the house of God.
The seven-member Fotu family were made homeless when a fire gutted their Raumanga rental house early last week, leaving them with little more than the clothes on their backs.
Fire inspectors said smoke alarms in the house were not operational and the family were "lucky to be alive".
Unable to return to their blackened home, the family were forced to take shelter in the neighbouring church, where Mr Fotu is the minister.
With limited space in the church house, the family put mattresses on the floor and converted a storage room into a bedroom for the entire family.