At least one person dead in Manapōuri house fire in Southland, people still unaccounted for

There are still people unaccounted for at the View St fire scene in Manapōuri.

A fire which destroyed a home in Southland’s Manapōuri has left one person dead, with others still unaccounted for.

Detective Sergeant Mark McCloy said the blaze was reported in View St about 3.40am today.

One person has died.

“There are still people unaccounted for and enquiries are ongoing to account for them,” McCloy told the Herald.

“Police will work alongside Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) to conduct a scene examination and enquiries over the next days.

“The cause of the blaze continues to be unexplained.”

It’s understood a mother and her child lived at the property, while another man lived in a sleep out.

Southland Mayor Rob Scott said: “It is just absolutely tragic for the tight knit community there and my thoughts go out to the family and everyone else affected.

“I also want to thank the amazing volunteers who worked to get the fire under control.”

Fenz crews from Manapōuri and Te Anau rushed to the single-storey home.

Fenz said the house was well alight when crews arrived.

Hato Hone St John was also in attendance.

“We responded with one operations manager, but our services were not required,” St John said.

No other buildings were at risk.

Southland District councillor Sarah Greaney told the Herald “it is just tragic”.

“In a small community there’s a much broader impact because very often our firefighters are close to the people involved,” Greaney said.

“My thoughts are with everyone and anyone who has been impacted, these are traumatic situations for anybody to have to go through.”

Police, including the Criminal Investigations Branch, will continue working at the scene.