Body may take days to identify

The burnt body of a person who died in a house fire on Auckland's North Shore last night may take several days to be identified, say police.

Police know who lived in the Browns Bay flat but said today the body was so badly burnt they could not tell if it was male or female and dental records may be the only way of identification.

The upstairs flat was burning fiercely when firefighters arrived about 5pm yesterday and began fighting the fire.

The body was found when they entered the flat but stayed where it was overnight before it was removed today for a post mortem tomorrow.

Detective Senior Sergeant Kim Libby said it was too early to say how the fire began.

Fire safety officers spent most of the day at the flat.

- NZPA