A mobility scooter caught fire, sparking a huge blaze as flames spread to a Te Kūiti supermarket.
Firefighters were called to the Te Kūiti Ōtorohanga New World at around 8.20am.
Eyewitness Kiri Nerai-Tuaupiki told 1News there was loud banging when the scooter caught fire, and it took "just seconds" for the flames to reach the supermarket's main entrance.
She said a dog that was inside the store did not make it out.
Nerai-Tuaupiki said the store, the only major supermarket in the community, would remain closed for the day – an issue for locals.
"That's our main supermarket in our little town, so it's pretty tragic," she said.
"We've been having a lot of house fires as well, so this is another tragedy for our town."
She said firefighters quickly extinguished the fire, but the building was noticeably damaged.
Firefighters were carrying out an internal search of the supermarket.
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