Ngaruawahia man suffered injuries before fire

Police said last night that a man found dead after a house fire at Ngaruawahia yesterday had sustained injuries in an assault before the fire and his death.

Detective Senior Sergeant Greg Nicholls, would not elaborate on the injuries, but said the dead man's pre-fire injuries were discovered in a post-mortem.

"The focus is now on examination of the scene and police will work with ESR Scientists to reconstruct what has happened," he said. Police were still working to formally identify the dead man.