Police name man who died in fire

The man who died in a fire at a rural Tauranga home has been named. File photo / NZ Herald

A man found dead after a fire at a rural Tauranga home on Saturday night has been named by police.

He was John Bartley, 50, the sole occupant of the building.

Tauranga police do not believe the fire was suspicious, and they were not seeking anyone in relation to the investigation, Detective Senior Sergeant Lindsay Pilbrow told NZPA.

He thanked the person who came forward and provided information relating to the fire.

An autopsy was carried out in Auckland yesterday morning, and the case has now been referred to the coroner.

The fire at a house in Wairoa Road, west of Tauranga, broke out about 8.30pm on Saturday, northern fire communications shift manager Steve Smith said.

It took about an hour for firefighters to put out the blaze in a small building on the property. When they got inside they found the man's body.

Police and victim support were working with the man's family.

Tauranga police were asking anyone who had seen anything suspicious in Wairoa Road on Saturday night to contact them.

- NZPA