The Fire Service says five people were lucky to escape with their lives after three house fires in the upper North Island on Tuesday night.
One person was taken to hospital after a fire that started in the the kitchen of a house in the Auckland suburb of Birkenhead at 10pm.
At about 1am, two people suffered burns in a house fire at Horeke in the Far North and one was taken to hospital.
Shortly before 4am, two people suffered smoke inhalation from a house fire in the Auckland suburb of New Lynn and one was taken to hospital.
