Rotorua driver who died in SH5 Mamaku fiery crash named, inquiries ongoing

Emergency services were called to the crash on December 1. Photo / File

Police have named the man who died following a crash on State Highway 5 on December 1 in the Mamaku Ranges.

He was 51-year-old, Brett Biddle, of Rotorua.

Biddle died after the crash on SH5, between Harwoods and Tapapa Rds.

In an earlier statement, police said the car caught on fire after the crash and the fire was reported to have spread to nearby vegetation.

Police said later they understood the vehicle, a 2006 black Mercedes Benz saloon, was driving west along SH5 towards Tirau.

Inquiries into the circumstances of the crash are ongoing.