Two children die in house fire

Two young boys have died in a house fire in Tauranga.

Their five-year-old sister emerged from the burning home on Otumoetai Rd screaming for help about 7.30am.

The children's mother and one other adult also escaped but had to stand on the roadside, helplessly watching the cream-coloured bungalow burn.

The dead children are believed to be aged between two and four.The house is said to be intact but the inside was gutted.

Tauranga senior sergeant Ross Bielby said emergency services were called to the fire about 7.30am. Fire safety officers and police CIB were still on the scene.

The cause of the fire is not yet known.

Police have put in place diversions in the area.

- NEWSTALK ZB, NZPA