Elderly fire victim named

The elderly man who died in a Blenheim house fire at the weekend has been named.

He was 96-year-old Arthur Harrison.

Emergency services were called to the McArtney Street home about 4am on Sunday and found the owner overwhelmed by smoke.

Medics treated the man, but he had died at the scene, police said.

The fire appeared to have started from embers or ashes placed beside the garden shed at the opposite end of the property to where Mr Harrison was sleeping, police said.

"It's going to take some time to get a clear picture of how the fire started, but it is known that the elderly occupant used his fire most days to heat his water."

A post mortem was to be carried out in Nelson today.

- NZPA