A second person has been confirmed dead after a house fire in Manapouri, Southland on Thursday.
Police said a specialist search team found the person in the View Street property after a “methodical investigation”.
Emergency services were called to the property at about 3:40am.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Neighbour Allan Biggs told RNZ on Thursday a few neighbours gathered on the street after hearing the emergency response.
“With the siren going off, eventually curiosity got the better of me and I got up and [was] just surprised to see the house well alight across the road,” Biggs said.
“We do get the odd callout of a fire engine in the middle of the night but it’s usually a traffic accident or something like that, nothing like this before.”