Police are working to secure the scene of a house fire in Palmerston North to reunite the family with the a grandmother and six-year-old girl believed dead inside.
Along with the Fire Service, police are working to stabilise the Exeter Cres home so they can confirm the two deaths and also investigate the cause of the fire.
There are conflicting reports about whether the seven-bedroom, two-storey state house had working smoke alarms – the Fire Service has said they'd found a box of them inside the house, Housing New Zealand said 11 had been installed last year and this afternoon, Detective Inspector Ross McKay said there had been reports there at least one working smoke alarm was in the house.
Five people remain in hospital and one has been discharged following the fire early this morning.
Det Insp McKay says they were treated for smoke inhalation and injuries relating to escaping the house.
"Today's efforts have been to secure the address, make it safe so we can unite the remaining members of the family with those at the hospital," he says.
Det Insp McKay was hopeful investigators would be able to get into the house tomorrow to determine the cause and what actually happened.
"Initial indications are the family members were woken by the smell of smoke and possibly by one person calling out. There are also indications indicate there may have been an active smoke alarm."
Det Insp McKay says the family is being offered support by iwi, the hospital and police victim support. More than 20 firefighters were called to the blaze at the two-unit property just before 3am.
Sherry, a resident who lives nearby, said she heard "noises and banging" outside when the fire had started.
"I saw flames and I ran outside, but I couldn't do anything.
"They're a lovely family. I see the kids and they used to always call out to me and that," she says.
The question over smoke alarms had her urging people to make sure they've got them installed.
"Please, please family – smoke alarms, please. C'mon, today. Someone said 'I haven't got a smoke alarm' and I said 'get one today'."
Police say nine family members were taken to hospital, however, a hospital spokesperson says only six were formally admitted.
A 21-year-old man and a 12-year-old girl are still in intensive care, a nine-year-old and a 13-year-old are in the children's ward and an 18-year-old woman is in a stable condition. Another person has been discharged.
Fire Service area commander Esitone Pauga says it is a "real tragedy".
He says there were no installed smoke alarms in the house, but firefighters found a box of them in a cupboard.
"The message is really to have good, working and well-maintained smokes alarms and a good escape plan for people so we can avoid this sort of tragedy."
Housing New Zealand confirmed the home was one of theirs and says while there had been reports smoke alarms had been removed.
A spokesperson says HNZ had last visited in November last year for an annual tenancy inspection.
"At this time our tenancy manager noted that some of the smoke alarms had been removed and some of the alarms could do with replacing.
"We treat non-working smoke alarms as an urgent health and safety risk for our tenants, so we reinstalled 11 smoke alarms throughout the home," the spokesperson said.
The house was due for another inspection in November.
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