A scene guard was in place, and police and Fire and Emergency investigators were examining the scene.
“The cause of the fire is still to be determined. At this time, no further details are available.”
Fire and Emergency Central shift manager Carlos Dempsey said around a dozen firefighters from the Marton and Whanganui volunteer fire brigades were sent to the fire.
Four people were also injured in a Dunedin house fire.
Hato Hone St John sent an ambulance and a rapid response unit, treating two in a minor condition at the scene and taking two – one in a minor condition and another in a moderate condition – to Dunedin Hospital, a spokeswoman said.
The fire at the house on Allandale Rd in the suburb of St Clair was “significant”, with more than two dozen firefighters battling it at its peak, a Fire and Emergency spokesperson said this morning.
“A number of people were evacuated from the building.”
A fire investigator was expected at the scene this morning.
In Auckland, a person was taken to Auckland City Hospital in a moderate condition after a fire at a Potters Ave property in Mt Roskill just before 9pm, a Hato Hone St John spokeswoman said.
And in Hastings, a person “in a minor condition” was treated at the scene after a fire in a house in Mahora just before 2am, the spokeswoman said.
A fire investigator was expected to reach the property this morning, a Fire and Emergency spokesperson said.
Firefighters were also called to a blaze at a property in Levin overnight. Police and Fire and Emergency are investigating the 4am fire, the spokesperson said.