Firefighters are checking through the debris of a burned-down building in a rural area south of Auckland for any signs of people who may have been trapped inside.
The fire - which razed the property in Paparata Road near the Bombay Hills at 6am today - was thought to be suspicious.
The Fire Service said the building was so badly burned it was not immediately possible to confirm what type it was, although it appeared to have been a house.
Three appliances and a tanker were called to the scene and an investigator was looking into the cause.
