Hamilton fire: Three dead, four injured

Three people have died and four have been treated by ambulance staff following a fire at a Hamilton home overnight.

Waikato Detective Senior Sergeant Graham Pitkethley said the cause of the fire at the two storey wooden home on Collingwood St was unexplained and was being treated as suspicious until confirmed otherwise.

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"We believe there was a party at the property overnight and we urge anyone who attended the address to make contact with police so we can work to firm up identities of people present.

"We believe four people were treated by ambulance staff at the scene and fire-fighters have confirmed the discovery of three bodies. We understand seven people reside at the six bedroom home."

Waikato fire commander Roy Breeze said emergency services were called to the fire about 5am and arrived to find it well alight.

Police standing guard at the scene of a house fire in Collingwood Street. Photo / Doug Sherring

"The house has been extensively damaged both inside and out and a priority right now is for us to construct framework within the house to make it safe for members of our Urban Search and Rescue team to conduct a search and clear the house.

"Once this is done police and fire investigators will conduct their forensic examinations to determine what caused the fire.

"The building is currently very insecure and a priority for us is to make it a safe environment for the various teams to work in."

The recovery operation was expected to take some time and Mr Pitkethley appealed for anyone who attended the property and who hadn't already spoken to police to make contact with them.

"Police and Victim Support are dealing with a number of distraught families and we are working to ensure they get all the assistance that they can.

"This is obviously a very emotional time made all the more so by the fact there are delays in clearing the building and recovering the bodies."

The fire was contained by 7am after 13 appliances and 45 firefighters battled the blaze.