Smoke alarms were the saving grace for a Gordonton family when a blaze broke out in their home, prompting the father to charge through the house to save his 1-year-old girl.
The Waikato father has been dubbed a "hero" by a local fire investigator after running into the fire that took hold of the home last night and crawling through the smoke to his daughter's room.
Fire investigator Kevin Holmes told Stuff the man reached his daughter "just in time".
"He basically charged in there, crouching, he managed to get across the lounge to the bedroom.
"He's really a hero, if it wasn't for him doing what he did they might have lost that girl."