KEY POINTS:
A man who died in a Christchurch house fire had been asleep after a night shift stocking shelves.
Phillip James Currie, 31, died when the Wilmot St house in Papanui where he boarded caught fire about 12.20pm on Friday.
Mr Currie's grandmother, Rose Gottermeyer, told The Press newspaper her grandson appeared to have been wakened by the smoke alarms but became disorientated in the blazing house.
A neighbour saw him at the window with a T-shirt over his face and pleaded with him to jump.
Christchurch deputy chief fire officer Dave Burford told NZPA the house was burning fiercely when firefighters arrived.
The fought their way into the building in "pretty extreme conditions" before finding Mr Currie's body in an upstairs room.
Mr Burford urged people living in two-storey houses to have an escape plan, ensure all smoke alarms were working and to remove any rubbish that could potentially cause fires.
Detective Senior Sergeant Virginia Le Bas, of Papanui police, said the fire was accidental, involving electrical kitchen appliances.
Mr Currie's death had been referred to the coroner.
- NZPA
