A young family who had only recently moved to the Mid North have lost everything they owned in a house fire.
The blaze — thought to have been caused by a cellphone charger which was left switched on — broke out just after 10am on Ripi St, Kaikohe, and spread quickly into the roof cavity and through the weatherboard house.
Kaikohe fire chief Bill Hutchinson said the house had been rented by a woman who had only moved to Kaikohe a few months ago.
Her brother and two children also lived at the address though no one was home when the fire broke out.
''It's a sad story. They've lost pretty much everything, including the kids' toys and a brand new TV,'' he said.