Ute blaze death not suspicious - police

Police say they are not treating as suspicious the death of a 39-year-old man whose body was in a blazing ute early today.

A dog, believed to be a bull mastif, was also found dead in the vehicle.

Detective Senior Sergeant Craig Scott said police had spoken to to relatives of the dead man and were satisfied there had been no foul play.

The burning ute was found outside a cemetery on Murphy Road in the Gisborne beach settlement of Wainui about 4.30am.

A forensic examination of the vehicle and the scene by police and forensic scientists was completed this afternoon, Mr Scott said.

The man's body was found in the driver's seat and the dog was discovered in the rear of the vehicle.

Mr Scott said a post mortem would be conducted in Tauranga tomorrow to determine the cause of death and confirm the man's identity.

Murphy Road and Tuahine Crescent residents said they woke to what sounded like gunshots and the crackling of fire just after 4am.

One resident told The Gisborne Herald this morning she heard at least one gunshot in the middle of the night.

Another said the flames from the vehicle reached as high as the power lines.

- NZPA