A woman and infant have been killed in a house fire near Taupō on Friday morning, and three people are in hospital.
Firefighters arrived on the scene on State Highway 5 near Rangitaiki just before 3am to find the house well alight.
One man is in a critical condition and two others are moderately injured after being flown to Waikato Hospital.
The blaze took place in a small house that is part of a large dairy farm.
Fire service shift manager Scott Osmond told Newshub there could be a criminal element to the blaze.
"Because it's a sudden death it's a police investigation as well, at this stage."
Firefighters remain at the scene, dampening down hotspots.
The cause of the blaze is not yet known.
Newshub.
