A man has died after receiving severe burns in a fire at a commercial building in Pukekohe this morning.
Emergency services were called to the fire at a two-storey building on Crosbie Rd about 6.50am.
About six crews from Fire and Emergency attended.
A Fire and Emergency spokesman said a fire on the top floor was well involved on arrival.
A man was critically injured and was taken to hospital, but has since died.
Fire and police investigators remain at scene, and are working to determine the cause of the blaze.
A St John spokeswoman said two ambulances, one Jeep and a helicopter were sent to the scene.
Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust spokesman Lincoln Davies said it was sent to Pukekohe to assist a male patient in his 50s who was pulled from a burning building.
"He was in a critical condition and needed to be rapid sequence intubated [RSI] to assist his breathing. He was flown to Middlemore Hospital," he said.
A worker at a nearby business said the building houses both a business, Franklin Truck Rentals, as well as a rental flat in the second storey.
He believed the fire started in the flat as he witnessed "smoke coming from the windows".
An employee at Franklin Truck Rentals said they had not been allowed access to the building since the fire, and he could not comment further at this time.
The offenders took off in a stolen vehicle with cigarettes, cash and other items.