One person has died after a house fire in Hamilton early this morning.
Emergency services were called to a house on Fox St at 3.05am.
Police said the house was "fully engulfed" and neighbouring properties were evacuated by officers.
A police spokesperson said one person was found dead. Three other people were able to escape the house.
A Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) spokesman said the fire didn't spread to any other houses.
He said fire investigators were at the scene and would be conducting an investigation.
Police and fire investigators remain at the scene on Fox St. (Source: 1News)
A witness living near the burning house, who did not wish to be named, took a video of the incident after being jolted awake by the commotion nearby.
"I woke up hearing shouting and yelling in the street, then I heard sirens and I thought maybe it's a police chase down my street ... but then I got up and looked out my window and just saw this blaze in front of me from across the street," they told 1News.
The witness grabbed their phone and ran outside just as firefighters arrived at the scene, and described hearing "explosions and bangs" as the home burned.
"Nobody seemed to know what had happened. It took them a while to get it under control."
By around 6am, they saw most emergency services had left the scene, with some officers staying to guard the property.
Police say one person was found dead after the fire on Fox St early on Saturday morning. (Source: Supplied)
They said they were "heartbroken" by the situation and for those who lost their home so suddenly.
"It was very scary not knowing what house [was burning] at 3 o'clock in the morning when it's dark and you just see flames ... at first I got a fright at first thinking it was my neighbour, and thinking if it could come across the street to my house.
"I could see it was behind my neighbour across the road, but I don't know how far back ... only when there was sunlight could you see what house it was."
They later learned a person had died in the fire, while three others managed to escape.
"It's heartbreaking, I feel so sorry for them. I'm really, really sad.
"I hope those that got out are OK."
A St John Ambulance spokesperson told 1News two people were taken to Waikato Hospital, with one in a serious condition and another in a moderate condition.
A scene guard is in place while police and Fire and Emergency New Zealand investigators examine the scene, a police spokesperson said.
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