Blaze victim 'unhappy after split'

Jacqueline Blackbourn died in a house fire on Saturday in Glenfield. Photo / Supplied

A woman who died in a mystery house fire on Auckland's North Shore was an English immigrant who had lived in New Zealand for 20 years.

Police are still investigating how 43-year-old Jacqueline Blackbourn's house in View Rd, Glenfield, caught fire on Saturday night.

Her body was found in a burning bedroom by firefighters.

Neighbours found Steve Ellis, with whom she had recently broken up, in the backyard in his underwear and with burns to his hands, yelling: "I couldn't get to her."

Police said on Monday that they had started a homicide investigation, because Ms Blackbourn had died a violent death.

A hospital spokesman said last night that Mr Ellis - who has been in an induced coma - had been moved to a ward from the intensive care unit and his condition was improving.

Police have yet to speak to him.

Ms Blackbourn's former boyfriend, Karl Hawthorne, told the Herald yesterday that he had last seen her about two weeks ago.

She had not seemed happy after breaking up with Mr Ellis.

The couple had moved to the house late last year.

Mr Hawthorne spent about three hours at the North Shore police station being interviewed yesterday.

He went to the house - which was still being combed by fire safety investigators and police - hoping to find Ms Blackbourn's cat Monet, which has been missing since Saturday.

The cat was named after French artist Claude Monet because of Ms Blackbourn's love of painting.

"She used to do fantastic paintings," Mr Hawthorne said.

"I used to say: 'These are fantastic, you could sell these.' But she'd just give them to friends with a nice card saying 'I love you'."

Ms Blackbourn, who worked in the accounts section of Harvey Norman at Wairau Park, was "the life of the party" and loved dancing, Mr Hawthorne said.

She missed her family, who were all overseas.

"She was really close to her mum," he said. "There wouldn't have been two days go by that she wasn't in contact with her."

Another friend, Margie Cardwell, described Ms Blackbourn as an "English rose".

"She was really feminine and girly, looked quite young for her age. She had a heart of gold."

Ms Blackbourn's brother, Tommaso Cerullo, yesterday left a heartfelt message for her on a social networking website.

"Rest in peace my darling sister. Love you and always will. You will never be forgotten in my heart or soul, miss you so much.

"To all the people that had the pleasure of having their heart lifted by her kindness and her smile, thank you for being there for her."

Detective Senior Sergeant Kim Libby, of North Shore CIB, said police officers hoped to speak to Mr Ellis in the next couple of days.

His injuries were not life-threatening, he added.

They would continue combing the scene of the fire today.

A post mortem examination has been carried out on Ms Blackbourn, but police have declined to reveal the cause of death, saying only that it was violent.

- ADDITIONAL REPORTING: NZPA