'The three of us would have been dead': Hamilton family flees blaze with seconds to spare

A Hamilton family managed to escape relatively unscathed after a fire tore through their house just after 5am today. Photo / Belinda Feek

A Hamilton family escaped with seconds to spare after a fire quickly tore through their home.

The occupants said that no sooner had they fled their Vesty Ave rental that the "windows blew out and the house was [engulfed]".

"Sixty seconds was the factor," she wrote on social media. "The three of us would of [sic] been dead."

And Waikato fire safety officer George Jensen said the family could credit one of their young children for alerting them to the fire as their smoke alarms did not have working batteries.

Fire crews were called to the house at 5.10am today.

On arrival they found the well-involved fire throughout the whole house.

While he was still determining a cause, Jensen said it appeared the fire began at the front of the house in either one of two bedrooms.

Despite not yet having a cause it didn't appear to be suspicious, he said.

The fire began at the front of the house, in either one of these two bedrooms, fire safety says. Photo / Belinda Feek

The occupants were understood to have been taken to Waikato Hospital for treatment after this morning's fire. Photo / Belinda Feek

Waikato fire safety is investigating the cause of this morning's fire. Photo / Belinda Feek

However, of concern was the fact there were no batteries in the home's smoke alarms.

"There were smoke alarms installed, however they had been removed by the tenants due to the flat battery.

"This is just a really good reminder that it is the landlord's responsibility to install at least one working smoke alarm in an appropriate place, however it's up to the tenants to make sure they are still working and that includes batteries and to make sure those batteries are working.

"We advocate for more than one. This house had two."

Jensen said it appeared the family were alerted to the fire by one of the children, which led to their safe escape.

They've then run to safely to a neighbour's.

"There was the potential here for quite a significant loss of life. Dead batteries can mean dead people."