Hamilton family has lucky escape from fire

Fire crew from Hamilton, Chartwell and Pukete attended the fire which gutted the home. Photo / Nikki Preston

A Hamilton family had a lucky escape from a fire which swept through a Dinsdale house early this morning.

The three elderly people who were staying at another family member's home woke to the Aberfoyle St house being ablaze just before 1am.

Fire crew from Hamilton, Chartwell and Pukete attended the fire which gutted the home.

Specialist fire investigator Kevin Holmes said a woman who was staying at the house woke to a crackling noise and walked out of the bedroom to see the fire in the dining room. She quickly woke the other two people and they escaped without injury.

Investigators are on site this morning working out the cause of the fire, which is not being treated as suspicious.

The house had one working fire alarm but the occupant woke before the smoke reached the part of the house it was in. The owner was not home when the fire started.

The fire was caused by an electrical fault in a small chest freezer in the kitchen.