The house and garage were extensively damaged by the blaze. Photo/Kiri Gillespie
A Tauranga mother is still reeling after fire nearly destroyed the home she and five of her children had been living in overnight.
The woman, who asked not to be named, said she had only just moved into the Lawrence St home in Gate Pa on Monday. She was still in the process of moving in at 4.37am when fire ripped through the property's garage and spread into the house - where her children slept.
The rental has suffered significant damage but smoke alarms sounded in enough time to alert the family inside to evacuate. The garage was destroyed.
I don't care about the house, just care about my babies.
Standing on the street this morning, the woman was still digesting what happened.
"I was up the road, coming down the hill when I got the call and saw. I was just hoping my babies were alright. I don't care about the house, just care about my babies."
The woman said her children were fine, some a little excited.
"They were all out of there. My daughter had seen the flames. They've got a big story to tell today."
A neighbour to the property, who also would not be named, said he woke to the sound of banging and cracking and knew it was fire.