Police puzzled by fatal ute fire

Police are mystified by a ute fire which killed a Taranaki woman while she was driving on a remote country road on Thursday night.

Shirley Ann Dunlop, 50, a farmer of Matapu, South Taranaki, suffered fatal burns to 90 per cent of her body in the fire and died in Taranaki Base Hospital early yesterday morning.

Mrs Dunlop was found enveloped in flames on Mid-Puniho Rd about 10pm on Thursday by two people who spotted a blaze and went to investigate.

She had got out of her burning vehicle and was 80 metres from it when the rescuers first saw her.

The pair put out the flames and called emergency services, Taranaki Daily News reported.

Police are investigating Mrs Dunlop's death but are puzzled as the ute had not been involved in a crash prior to bursting into flames.

"It was definitely not a crash. It appeared to have simply burst into flames," said Sergeant Shane Hurliman, who attended the incident.

Forensic experts from ESR would today be examining the burnt remains of the 20-year-old ute, to try to establish what caused the fire, said Detective Sergeant Greg Gray, of New Plymouth CIB.

Until the passers-by were fully interviewed, police were unable to say if Mrs Dunlop had been able to tell them what might have happened.

Mr Gray said the death was not being treated as a homicide.

- NZPA