House blaze claims woman's life

A woman has died in a Papatoetoe house fire that sparked police fears of foul play.

The house, on Birdwood Ave, was well ablaze when firefighters arrived at about 8.30pm on Friday night and found the body of a 45-year-old woman inside.

Neighbours said a woman lived at the property with several children, but the children were not believed to have been home at the time of the fire.

Neighbour Sarah Duke was in the spa pool in her backyard when she was alerted to the blaze over the fence.

"We heard a noise and saw a lot of black smoke so we jumped out of the spa and called the fire brigade," said Duke. "Within seconds, all the windows had smashed out."

Duke said the flames came so close to her property she feared her own house might catch fire.

The gutted house and surrounding area was cordoned off for much of yesterday while police and the fire service investigated.

Initially police and the Fire Service believed the fire was set deliberately, but last night investigators said it was no longer thought to be suspicious.

Detective senior sergeant Gary Lendrum of Counties Manukau Police said police believed they knew the identity of the woman but she was so badly burnt that she would be formally identified through dental records. The woman's name would not be released until then.

Lendrum said he now believed the fire was a "tragic accident".