A young mum who lost everything in a house fire last weekend is overwhelmed at the offers of money, clothing, homeware and food as she rebuilds her shattered life.

Police charged a man with arson after he was caught by a security guard hired to protect vacant houses from suspicious fires, including one that razed a house.

The man who lived in a Mt Maunganui home where an alleged P lab exploded this week always seemed like a good tenant, according to his landlord.

Neighbours of the P lab that exploded in a Mount Maunganui home say it is "horrible'' and "disturbing'' to live near such a dangerous place.

A 12-year-old bundled newborn twins and another baby through thick black smoke to safety after a pot sterilising bottles sparked a fire in an upper-storey flat.

Neighbours who alerted a family to a burning truck in their front yard early yesterday say it was only luck the house didn't burn down.

An investigation is set to be launched this morning into the cause of a fire in the Auckland suburb of Northcote.

A post-mortem examination will be undertaken today on the body of a man who died in a house fire in Tokoroa.

A grass fire that started just before midday on Mt Stewart at Taihape, adjacent to Mataroa Rd/State Highway 1 is still burning.

The person who died in a house fire in Tokoroa last night has been confirmed as a man.

A body has been found at the earthquake-damaged central Christchurch property that burned overnight, police said today.

A 4-year-old boy raised the alarm after a fire broke out in a Hamilton home - but firefighters say smoke alarms would have given more warning.

Neighbours heard a large bang when a Tokoroa house went up in flames, killing one person and leaving another man fighting for his life in Waikato Hospital.

The infant siblings badly burned in a Gisborne car fire are likely to face dozens more operations and many weeks in hospital as they recover.

One person is dead and another is fighting for their life after a house fire in Tokoroa this evening.