A young girl is being hailed as a hero after she raised the alarm when a fire broke out in a sleepout in the Bay of Plenty last night.
The seven-year-old girl was watching TV when the fire started after 10pm last night on a property near Omokoroa.
She alerted the other six members of her family who were asleep in the converted garage and they all managed to escape safely.
Fire investigator John Rewi said an initial investigation showed a poorly installed log fire probably caused the blaze which began when roofing papers and timbers caught alight.
He said the fire was quickly put out thanks to the local volunteer brigade.
There was one smoke alarm in the sleepout, but it still in its wrapper in a draw, Mr Rewi said.
