Waihī house fire: Elderly occupant dies, cause of death under investigation

Fire and Emergency New Zealand says a three-bedroom house in Waihī was “well-involved” when crews arrived to tackle the blaze and one person was found dead. Photo / NZME

Police say a house fire in Waihī on Friday where the occupant was found dead is not thought to be suspicious.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand firefighters were called to a fire on Montrose Rd about 7.45am on Friday after receiving multiple 111 calls.

A Fire and Emergency spokesman earlier said four fire engines responded to the calls and the fire was extinguished.

The three-bedroom house was “well-involved” when they arrived and firefighters found one person dead.

A police spokesman told the Bay of Plenty Times on Monday the cause of the fire was still being confirmed but “not thought to be suspicious at this stage”.

The sole occupant, a 71-year-old man, was found inside the single-storey residential dwelling, the spokesman said.

“The cause of the man’s death will be confirmed by the coroner.

“After the coroner has determined the cause of death, the name of the deceased may be released publicly. Given the circumstances, this may take some time.”

Meanwhile, a Fire and Emergency spokeswoman said the service was alerted to two house fires in Tauranga on Saturday night.

The first fire was in Matua Rd, Matua. Fire and Emergency was alerted at 7pm.

Four fire crews attended from Tauranga and Mount Maunganui stations and found a “well-involved” house on the front of the property.

“The fire was contained by 7.30pm, and all crews left by 10.20pm.”

Everyone was out of the house at the time, a spokeswoman said.

A single-storey house fire in Matua was extinguished by firefighters from the Tauranga and Mount Maunganui fire brigades on June 14. Photo / Supplied

A nearby resident, who asked to remain anonymous, told SunLive they were impressed with how quickly the fire engines arrived at the scene.

“I heard a loud bang and then sirens came very quickly after that. We could see flames licking out the windows.”

Two Fire and Emergency NZ fire investigators were at the scene of Saturday night’s house fire in Matua the next day. Photo / Rosalie Liddle Crawford

Two fire investigators returned to the property on Sunday to determine the cause.

The Fire and Emergency spokeswoman told the Bay of Plenty Times there was “significant damage” to the house resulting from the fire.

“The cause of the fire was found to be accidental and the house did have working smoke alarms,” she said.

Fire crews were also alerted at 7.25pm on Saturday to a house fire in Farm St, Mount Maunganui.

Fire and Emergency NZ says the cause of the house fire in Matua was found to be accidental and the property had working smoke alarms. Photo / Rosalie Liddle Crawford

The spokeswoman said three fire crews from Greerton, Papamoa and Mount Maunganui stations attended and found a house filled with smoke.

The fire was extinguished by 7.55pm and all crews left by 9.30pm. The fire was not being investigated.

No injuries were reported.

Fire and Emergency northern shift manager Josh Pennefather earlier said the Farm St fire appeared to have started in the ceiling because of an electrical issue with a blown light bulb.

Pennefather earlier said two fires within 30 minutes was a reminder to remain vigilant to risks during the winter months.

He said fire travelled fast and he urged people to regularly check their smoke alarms were working and to have a clear escape plan.

Sandra Conchie is a senior journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post who has been a journalist for 24 years. She mainly covers police, court and other justice stories, as well as general news. She has been a Canon Media Awards regional/community reporter of the year.