House fire victims to be identified with specialist dogs

The Collingwood St villa was the site of the tragic house fire. Photo / Doug Sherring

Victim identification and a forensic examination at the site of a fatal Hamilton house fire involving specialist cadaver dogs is continuing after three people were killed on Saturday.

Three bodies - believed to be those of Jake Hayes, 19, Connor Swetman, 17, and Toni Maree Johnston, 25, - were removed from the Collingwood St villa on Sunday afternoon after the areas where they died were made secure.

The fire engulfed the house at about 5am on Saturday but four people managed to escape.

Waikato district crime manager Detective Inspector Karl Thornton today said clearing the property so a forensic examination could be completed was proving time-consuming.

"We can say at this point with the work completed so far we are not looking for anyone else in relation to persons missing as a result of the fire.

"Due to the complexity of the scene, part of the clearing operation has incorporated the use of cadaver dogs as well as staff specially trained in dealing with large scale incidents of this nature."

Police were comfortable they would not discover any more casualties, but their work at the scene was far from over with and officers were expected to remain at the scene until at least the end of the week, Mr Thornton said.

"Structural reinforcement work will continue to create an environment where we are comfortable forensic teams can work safely in their efforts to determine the cause of the fire.

"While this is going on, the painstaking work around identifying the victims and completing the post-mortem examinations is still underway in Auckland."

Those involved in the operation were aware of the need for thoroughness in what they were doing and were focused on the fact they were working on the behalf of three families struck down by tragedy who were awaiting the return of their loved ones, Mr Thornton said.