Firefighters had to wait for the power to be cut to a large shed and sleepout that was ablaze in Kaikohe.
Kaikohe Chief Fire Officer Bill Hutchinson said the shed, measuring about five metres by eight metres, caught alight just after 5am yesterday, forcing the evacuation of two people were asleep in a sleepout. The shed also contained a workshop.
Mr Hutchinson said normally more people would have been asleep in the sleepout, including some children, but luckily they were not home when the fire started.
He said police and a Fire Safety officer are investigating the cause.
The shed was well ablaze when firefighters arrived and the shed was virtually destroyed.