Man dies in house fire

A man has died in a house fire near Wairoa, despite desperate attempts to save him.

Police have not identified the dead man yet, but believe he is a 63-year-old local man who lived at the house.

The Wairoa Fire Brigade was called to a house just north of the northern Hawke's Bay town at 1.15am this morning.

The house was engulfed in flames when they got there.

Senior Sergeant Tony Bates of Wairoa police said there were five people in the house at the time of the fire. 

One of the occupants awoke to find a fire had taken hold in the lounge.

He was able to wake his partner and two children and evacuate them from the house.

However they were not able to get through the flames to his partner's father's bedroom.

They went to a neighbour's house and called the Fire Service, then returned to the house to try again to reach the remaining person.

The Fire Service arrived and put out the fire.

The body of the man was found in his bedroom.

Wairoa police and fire safety officers are investigating the cause of the blaze.

- © Fairfax NZ News