Elderly man dead in Foxton Beach house fire

The fire service was called at 5.51am to the fire on Roore St in Foxton Beach. Photo / Google Maps

An elderly man has died in a house fire this morning in Foxton Beach in Horowhenua.

Central fire services shift manager Murray Dunbar said the fire service was called at 5.51am to the fire on Roore St in Foxton Beach.

When fire crews arrived the house was "well alight", he said. The fire escalated to a second alarm and four crews attended the blaze.

"After it was extinguished the crew was alerted that there may have been someone inside, which they've since confirmed."

Dunbar said one fire crew is still there making sure there are no flare-ups.

He said the two-storey house is severely damaged.

He believes the man was the only one in the house at the time of the blaze.

Dunbar said the cause of the blaze isn't yet clear.

He said a specialist fire investigator is looking into what happened.

Central fire services were also battling a large fire south of Te Karaka near Gisborne this morning.

The fire service was called just before 5am, according to Mike Wanoa, Central Fire Services shift manager at the time of the fire.

It was fully involved when crews from Gisborne and nearby volunteer stations arrived.

He said firefighters are still trying to subdue the fire.