KEY POINTS:
Four members of a Japanese family with a love for baseball are believed dead after a house fire in Christchurch that police are treating as homicide.
Four bodies, believed to be the Tomonaga family, were found in their rented two-storey weatherboard house in Fendalton about 7.20am yesterday, after firefighters had extinguished a fire on the ground floor.
Neighbour Adrienne Hopkins said she called the Fire Service after seeing smoke wafting from a window in the house. Firefighters found the four bodies, two on the ground level and two on the upper level, and called in police. The bodies were due to be removed late yesterday.
Police called the deaths suspicious. The Herald understands the case is being treated as a homicide after signs of petrol having been used.
It is understood murder-suicide, and the possibility of someone from outside the home being responsible, are among scenarios being considered.
It is unclear whether the victims died in the fire or beforehand.
Inquiry head Detective Inspector Greg Williams said the victims would not be identified publicly until the police were certain of their identities.
"This will be a complex investigation. Until we have formal identification we cannot comment on who they might be."
Junichi Tomonaga, known as Jun, is believed to be one of the dead.
Mr Tomonaga was believed to have lived at the house with his wife Keiko, his daughter and an elderly relative.
After moving to New Zealand, he ran a travel agency that failed, and took an employee under his roof after she lost her job.
In his mid-50s, Mr Tomonaga was believed to be the oldest competitive baseball player in New Zealand.
"He was doing stretching exercises that some of our 12-year-olds can't do. He was the kind of guy who could buckle and put one leg behind his head," said Canterbury Baseball Club president David Ballinger.
"He always helped any kid that wanted to learn how to play. He was an all-round nice person."
Mr Tomonaga was one of the founding members of the Canterbury club four years ago, and was also a coach, umpire and handyman. "His wife was also a very big supporter. Every Sunday they used to come along with a packed picnic lunch for games."
Mr Tomonaga was employed by A1 Radiator and Air Conditioning Specialists as a driver and spare hand, and was a popular staff member, said company owner Graham Stevens.
"He carried around a notebook and wrote down everything he did. He was that kind of person - he dotted all of his i's and crossed all of his t's. He was very pleasant and he had a terrific attitude to everything he did."
Clients he delivered products to poked fun at his language skills, and enjoyed his style of humour.
"He couldn't speak fluent English, but he could certainly get by."
A Christchurch relative of the family had no comment when contacted by the Herald yesterday.
Rob Hempseed walked his dog past the Tomonagas' home each day and said he often saw the family playing baseball at nearby Fendalton Park.
The family were always impeccably dressed.
