KEY POINTS:
Fire safety officers will this morning return to the scene of a fatal fire at a flat in Palmerston North overnight to try and establish its cause.
However, they do not believe it was suspicious.
An 18-year-old man who had only moved into the Chelwood St flat two days before, died at the scene of the blaze which broke out about 1am.
Firefighters found the unconscious 18-year-old in a bedroom. He was carried outside, but efforts by fire and ambulance staff to revive him were unsuccessful. He died at the scene.
Palmerston North Chief fire officer Rodger Calder said the fire underlined the necessity for working smoke alarms in all properties, including rental accommodation.
"There were two smoke alarms in the flat. But one had no battery in it, the other was too far away and was not fitted correctly," he said.
As the 18-year-old was believed to have been drinking in the hours before the fire, alcohol may also have been a factor that contributed to his death, Mr Calder said.
Only one room of the house was on fire, though there was smoke damage to the rest of the building. The 16 firefighters who attended were able to bring the blaze quickly under control, he said.
- NZPA
