Community rallies around family after house fire in Ngākuru, south of Rotorua

Firefighters were called around 6.30pm and say the house was "extensively damaged". Photo / NZME

A "really special" community is offering houses, furniture and support to a family after their house was "extensively damaged" by fire in rural Rotorua last night.

A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesman said fire crews were called to Whirinaki Valley Rd in Ngākuru just after 6.30pm last night following reports of a house on fire.

The house was "well-involved" in fire when crews from Rotorua, Ngongotahā and Lake Ōkareka arrived.

There were no reports of injuries.

As of 9pm, the fire was out but firefighters were still at the scene. The house had been "extensively damaged".

A spokesman today said that a fire investigator had been called to the scene but was yet to arrive.

The house belonged to the grandparents of a boy at Ngākuru School and the school was focussing on making sure he was okay while the family sorted out what they needed to, principal Rachel Weinberg said.

When Weinberg heard about the fire she got in touch with the boy's mother to make sure everyone was safe and offered support.

The school would put their thinking caps on to see what they could do to support the whanau and help in "whatever way we can".

She said the mother had put a post on a community page thanking everyone for their offers of support.

Weinberg said the small community was "really special" and believed many people offered to provide anything they needed including houses to stay in temporarily and furniture.

"Small communities like this really rally around when things like this happen."