Police and specialist fire investigators are working to find out how a fatal house fire started in a rural in the north of the Gisborne district.
Emergency services were called to the house on State Highway 35, between Tikitiki and Te Araroa, just after 7pm on Wednesday.
One man managed to escape but a woman, believed to be in her 50s , was found dead inside the house.
Fire Area Commander Charlie Turei says the man was taken to hospital in a very distressed state.
He says house fires at that time of the evening are unusual and teams will be at the scene for most of today trying to find the cause.
