Passerby rescues family from fire

File photo / Greg Bowker

A woman and two children have been rescued from a suspicious house fire by a passerby who noticed smoke coming from their riverside Whanganui home.

The man was returning home from work about 2.10am when he noticed smoke coming from the house on Somme Parade, near the intersection with Victory Place, in the suburb of Aramoho, police said.

He managed to wake the 21-year-old woman, her 15-month-old son and 6-year-old cousin and help them out of the house.

The family were shaken but unharmed.

Firefighters were called and extinguished the fire, which was well ablaze on part of the house.

The wash house and side door area of the house were found to have suffered extensive fire damage, while the rest of the house was heavily smoke damaged.

Police and the Fire Service will carry out a detailed examination of the house to establish the cause of the fire.

They are treating it as suspicious.

Police have appealed for any witnesses or anyone with information about the fire to come forward.

- NZPA