Three dead, three rescued in South Auckland house fire

Neighbours have told of hearing screaming and glass breaking in a house fire that killed three people in South Auckland.

Fire Service Northern shift manager Scott Osmond said six people were in the Plantation Ave, Flat Bush, home when the fire broke out at 3.25am.

Three people were rescued and have been taken to Middlemore Hospital.

A 47-year-old man is in a critical condition in the intensive care unit and an 11-year-old girl and older male were in stable conditions, said a hospital spokeswoman.

Newstalk ZB reporter Michael Allan is at the cordon outside the house.

"Neighbours heard screaming and glass breaking at about 3 o'clock this morning, they didn't really know what was going on until they looked outside and saw the house well involved," he said.

Three people died in a fire in a Flat Bush home early this morning. Photo / Michael Allan

He said a police officer said it was very sad to be dealing with the deaths only days out from Christmas.

"The top storey of the house is gutted with all the windows blown out," the reporter said.

Julie Pedrido lives across the road and said she heard commotion but did not realise how serious it was.

"All I heard was screaming, I just thought people were arguing, and then glass breaking, I just thought people were throwing things at each other."

She said the deaths were a tragedy for the street, especially so close to Christmas.

"I'm really shocked because I live right across the road, and I feel really bad because I didn't even know," she said.

"I just woke up to fire sirens and the police.

"And then I looked out the window and I couldn't really see the fire, I just saw light and smoke," Pedrido said.

Another resident posted on Facebook: "We are right next door. Can't get the father's cries out of my head. So horrible."

A Plantation Ave resident, who asked not to be named, said she woke up about 3:20am.

"There was glass breaking and people screaming. It wasn't nice."

She then heard sirens blaring as fire engines rushed to the scene.

The woman was unsure who lived at the property but she believed it had only been sold a few months ago.

"It's a quiet area. People stick to themselves."

A police cordon is in place outside the house in the quiet subdivision. A fire engine, two other fire appliances and two police cars are still at the house.

Osmond said the two-storey Plantation Ave property was engulfed by fire when crews arrived within minutes of the alarm being raised.

He said firefighters were told people were inside and mounted a search and rescue operation.

"There were multiple calls to the fire. We got there within five minutes and the house was well involved in fire," he said.

"We had information that people were in the house and unfortunately it turned out there was."

Firefighters found three people dead in the house and a further three with injuries.

The home is a recently built property in a new subdivision and was sold earlier this year.

It was not clear if those inside the home were related.

Investigations were now under way into the cause of the fire.

- Additional reporting: Newstalk ZB