KEY POINTS:
A man died and three others were injured in a house fire in Upper Hutt early this morning.
Emergency services were called to Miro Street in suburban Trentham about 12.50am, where they found a house and sleepout fully ablaze.
Police said the house was occupied by a large family which included four children aged between three and 13.
Lower Hutt chief fire officer Peter Bean told NZPA they received multiple 111 calls and got there quickly as the house was near the station.
On arrival they were told one person had not made it out.
Firefighters donned breathing apparatus and searched both buildings but were not able to save him. The man's body was found in the sleepout about 3m behind the main house.
Three family members were taken to hospital suffering from burns and smoke inhalation.
Mr Bean said about six appliances took an hour to get the blaze under control.
Upper Hutt Detective Sergeant Tony Heathcote said the cause of the fire was not yet known and police, Fire Safety and Environmental and Scientific Research forensic experts would be examining the scene over the weekend.
Both the sleepout and main house were extensively damaged and Mr Heathcote said the examination could take up to three days.
- NZPA
