Tourist seriously injured in holiday park fire

A tourist is on life support after being burnt in a fire in Christchurch holiday park unit.

The fire service are investigating the fire which left New Zealand-born Elaine Puku, 46, on holiday from Australia, in Christchurch Hospital's intensive-care unit.

Ms Puku suffered second-degree internal and external burns after being pulled from the fire while trying to rescue her children, The Press newspaper reported.

Station officer Paul Rodwell said that moments longer in the fire at the Meadow Park Holiday Park in Papanui at 3am on Tuesday would have been fatal for the family.

Malcolm Puku, 47, and sons Jeremy, 17, Matthew, 13, and Jordan, 10, all originally from Auckland but resident in Queensland, are recovering from burns, smoke inhalation and cuts at Ronald McDonald House in central Christchurch.

There was no smoke alarm in the unit.

- NZPA