KEY POINTS:
Police say a fire which killed a man in the sleepout of an Upper Hutt home on Saturday was likely to have originated from a candle.
Raymond Harold King, 51, who lived at Miro St in Trentham, died when he was unable to escape the fire, which started soon after midnight.
An intellectually disabled young man also in the sleepout was praised for saving family members after he rushed inside and alerted them to the fire before it spread to the house.
The disabled man's father said smoke alarms had failed to go off and the house was already on fire when his son alerted them.
Detective Sergeant Tony Heathcote of Upper Hutt CIB said today police believed the fire may have been caused by a burning candle.
Mr King's death has been referred to the coroner.
- NZPA
