Two people have died following a house fire in Christchurch last night.
A Fire and Emergency spokesperson told 1 NEWS they were called to the Burwood address at 10.42pm.
The blaze has since been extinguished. However, the property was severely damaged.
Neighbours who know the family told 1 NEWS they believe it was two young boys who had died. Authorities were unable to confirm details about the victims.
Residents of Vivian St say it's been a night full of commotion for the usually quiet street, and they weren't able to get much sleep with ambulances, fire engines and police officers coming and going from around 11pm yesterday.
Neighbour Eddie Rodden, a former firefighter who has been living in the same house for almost 40 years, told 1 NEWS the children were "good boys, full of life", adding that it had been "a traumatic 24 hours".
"Any loss of life is traumatic, you know? It's terrible," he said.
Mr Rodden said he had pulled back the curtain after hearing noises to discover emergency services and a large amount of smoke coming from the house.
He said a woman who he believed to be the boys' mother was "quite distressed" following the incident.
One fire crew remains at the scene battling hot spots and a fire investigator was set to arrive this morning to determine the cause of the blaze.
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