Teen dies in Papatoetoe fire

Desperate attempts by a mother and her son to save her other son failed when they found his body in a smoke-filled room.

Sonny Zachariah Gibbons, 19, was dead when his mother and his brother burst into his smoke-filled room at the family home in Papatoetoe, south of Auckland.

Emergency services were called to the house about 3.15am yesterday and brought the fire under control. They later said it probably started accidentally.

Police said today the dead teenager's mother and brother made a valiant attempt to get him out of the room but he was thought to be already dead.

The Fire Service said the fire may have been caused by a dropped cigarette.

A post mortem was due today.

- NZPA