Firefighters are battling a suspicious house fire in the Auckland suburb of Mangere East.

A proper village centre and the nearby arts centre were two of the main attractions when Siliga David Setoga and his wife Luisa Lefao-Setoga chose Mangere Bridge to raise their five children.

The distraught survivor of a fishing tragedy spoke last night of desperately trying to keep his brother-in-law's head above water before losing his grip and watching him drown.

Rafael Caso, creative account manager, and Karen Caso, hard-working mum, reckon they're lucky to live in Mangere Bridge, Auckland's best-kept-secret suburb. They tell James Russell why.