A blazing stove-top element has been blamed for igniting a house fire in Masterton that left a mother and her three children homeless.
Fire safety officer Bruce Cole said the blaze on Sunday had been started by a stove-top element that was left on in the kitchen of the Montgomery Cres home.
The fire started soon after 8am on Sunday.
The mother and her children were sleeping at the time but fled their home unharmed.
They were outside by the time firefighters arrived.