One person dead, one critically injured in Canterbury house fire

A child has died in hospital after a house fire in Rakaia at the weekend. Image / Google Maps

Two people have now died after a house fire in Canterbury on Saturday night, with a child succumbing to injuries in hospital.

Fire and Emergency NZ was called to Dunford St, Rakaia, at about 11.15pm on Saturday.

Trucks from Rakaia and Ashburton scrambled to the scene.

A police spokesman confirmed this morning that one person had died and another was critically injured in the blaze. The death will be referred to the coroner.

A Fire and Emergency spokesman said there was a report that persons were unaccounted for in the fire.

Crews arrived to find the home well ablaze, the spokesman said.

Crews worked to extinguish the fire . One crew remained on the scene this morning.

A fire investigator will visit the scene later today, the spokesman said.

Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers business, breaking news and local stories from Tāmaki Makaurau. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.

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