Hamilton house fire: Families and friends mourn as police remove bodies

Name: Three dead following 'suspicious' house fire
Uploaded: 2014-11-15T16:25:29+13:00
Duration: 81 s
Description: Three people have died and four have been treated by ambulance staff following a fire at a Hamilton home overnight. Waikato Detective Senior Sergeant Graham Pitkethley said the cause of the fire at the two storey wooden home on Collingwood St was unexplained and was being treated as suspicious until confirmed otherwise.

By Nikki Preston

NZ Herald·

16 Nov, 2014 05:30 AM4 mins to read

Three people have died and four have been treated by ambulance staff following a fire at a Hamilton home overnight. Waikato Detective Senior Sergeant Graham Pitkethley said the cause of the fire at the two storey wooden home on Collingwood St was unexplained and was being treated as suspicious until confirmed otherwise.

Police have removed the bodies of three people killed in a Hamilton house fire but officers have not ruled out finding more bodies inside the remains of the villa.

The final hearse departed at 5pm today as about 100 friends and family of the victims gathered to farewell the youngsters.

Jake Hayes, 19, Connor Swetman, 17, and Toni Maree Johnston, 25, are believed to have lost their lives in the fire that broke out just hours after a house party in Collingwood St took place.

Mourners clung together and threw flowers as Jake's brother drove the teenager's black and white Toyota ute away from house. Two boys in the crowd did a haka while a bagpiper played out the hearses.

Emergency service spent much of today securing the building before allowing officers in to recover the bodies and search the remains.

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Police were not ruling anyone else being in the house and spokesman Andrew McAlley said it was vital anyone with footage of the party or fire contacted police to help with the investigation.

"Police haven't cleared the house and are keeping an open mind whether there was anyone else in the house."

One of the teenagers at the house party said today he was woken by screams as a fire ripped through the house.

Bayley Reid, 17, smashed a window on the second storey and escaped the flames.

First night in his new home: Jake Hayes. Photo / Facebook

Connor Swetman is believed to have died in the blaze. Photo / Facebook

He had been staying in the room with Jake and Connor. "I looked out the window and there were big flames so I jumped up, woke my mates up and we all freaked out."

He had expected his friends to be behind him - but Jake and Connot never made it out.

He thought he was the last one to make it out alive and joined three others who had already escaped standing on the road. "I'm pretty heart-broken. I want to know where my bros are. Where both of them are."

He described the house as being a "ball of orange flames". "It was insane. It went up so fast." He said he did not know Toni Maree.

Crowds gathered round the house today awaiting news of their loved ones. Photo / Greg Bowker

The burnt-out villa where three people died. Photo / Greg Bowker

A party goer believed Toni Maree had been at clubs in town and arrived home shortly before the fire started.

Friends of Connor paid tribute to him today. One described struggling to deal with the "heart-breaking" news. Another said Connor was a happy and upbeat teen who was always helping people and telling jokes.

Watching from a distance as police enter the building. Photo / Greg Bowker

Even people who did not know Connor were moved enough to send their condolences. "I didn't know you but fly high bro and all my loves go out to your friends and family god has a space for you in heaven," one wrote on Facebook this morning.

A bagpiper played as the bodies were removed. Photo / Greg Bowker

Waikato CIB detective inspector Graham Pikethley said they were still unsure whether there was anyone else at the house, but there were people police wanted to speak to and had as yet not been able to contact.

The fire was being treated as "serious" until they established the cause of the damage and called on anyone who filmed the fire or the party to contact police.

It is believed seven people lived in the six-bedroom home, but some were out at the time while other partygoers were thought to have been staying there.