Man burnt after explosion in Katikati house

File photo / NZH

A man is in a hospital burns unit following an explosion that caused a fire at a Katikati house last night.

The Katikati Volunteer Fire Brigade were called to a Park Rd address at 9.51pm and two appliances and 17 firefighters were at the scene within five minutes.

Firefighters, who had been at the station for their training night, hosed the man down before ambulance officers took over.

The fire was in a flat attached to house. The house was saved but the flat's living area was gutted.

Firefighters lifted sections of the roof and hosed water on the exposed area to make sure the fire was out.

A Toyota Rav 4 in the attached garage was also damaged.

Several neighbours heard the explosion.

One said: "I heard a bang, so I rushed out my door on to the deck and tried to find out what was wrong.

"I called out but there was no reply."

Another said: "He's a lovely man. They're young people and they have three small children."

Property owner Kevin Ebbutt said his son-in-law lived in the house.

Fire investigators arrived at the scene last night and will be back this morning to see what caused the fire and where it started.

Firefighters left the scene about 2am.

This morning the officer in charge of the incident, Deputy Chief Fire Officer Peter Carney, said the man was taken to Tauranga Hospital before being transferred to Waikato Hospital burns unit last night.

Bay of Plenty Coast fire safety officer John Rewi said it appeared the man had been cooking when the fire broke out.

"I found a pot on the stove and the stove was turned on so it was looking like a cooking fire."

Mr Rewi said he was still to investigate how the man got burnt.

"Normally you get out a door or out a window and you don't get burnt, obviously he was right near the stove."