Grandmother saves six kids from fire

The scene of the fire. Photo / Murray Robertson, Gisborne Herald.

A grandmother risked her own life to save six children from her burning home in Gisborne last night.

The family was "moments from catastrophe," when the 66-year-old re-entered the burning house to rescue the children, aged 2 to 10 - three of whom were her grandchildren - a fire service investigator said.

The woman was woken by the sound of the blaze, but was unable to access the children - who were sleeping in a front room - from her bedroom at the back of the house.

The scene of the fire. Photo / Murray Robertson, Gisborne Herald.

She ran outside to the front of the house, and entered the front room through a window, before passing the children outside to safety.

The house was gutted by the inferno, which began in the kitchen at about 11pm, and a fire service spokesman said the woman and children were visibly shaken.

"They were moments away from catastrophe. I would have been looking at an entirely different scene this morning had they not done what they did," he said.