Everyone accounted for after house fire in Waihau Bay

Thursday, 4 June 2026

The people unaccounted for after a “gut-wrenching” house fire early on Thursday morning in Waihau Bay have been found.

Whānau said they were “stoked” to hear everyone was safe but “sad about the house”.

A spokesperson for Fire and Emergency NZ (Fenz) told Stuff four crews were sent after 3am to the small coastal settlement in the Bay of Plenty.

They arrived to find a residential house well involved in fire.

The Fenz spokesperson earlier said there were multiple people unaccounted for.

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A member of the whānau who owns the property earlier told Stuff it was “gut-wrenching” to learn of the fire.

She said a young man had recently inherited the home from his father.

“He was on the up and moving forward with his life,” she told Stuff, describing the blaze as “very sad for the community”.

Firefighters were still on site at 7.30am, removing parts of the building so they can access hotspots and fully extinguish the fire.

A fire investigator has been sent to the scene.

Police confirmed emergency services remain at the scene and everyone is now accounted for.