One person has been killed in a house fire in Ruatahuna, west of Gisborne, early this morning.
A Fire and Emergency NZ spokesperson said six crews, as well as one tanker, an Assistant Area Commander and two fire investigators were sent to the well-involved house fire on Mataatua Road shortly after 2am. The house burned to the ground in the blaze.
Emergency services took about an hour and a half to arrive at the scene because of the remote location.
Two people were believed to have been in the house at time the fire started, the spokesperson said.
One person received moderate injuries and was taken to hospital, but police confirmed the other person died.
Police are working at the scene today, along with Fire and Emergency NZ, to determine the cause of the fire, police said in a statement.
A formal identification process will be completed for the dead person.
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