An electric blanket is thought to have been the cause of a house fire.
The occupants of the Housing New Zealand residence in Jollie St in Hokitika, a man and his son, managed to get out safely when the house caught fire shortly before 9pm on Friday night.
The house was well involved when firefighters arrived, but they were able to bring it under control within 15 minutes, Hokitika fire chief Harry Collett said.
The fire was not regarded as suspicious.
West Coast fire investigator Dan Greene said the cause was officially undetermined. However, it was believed to have been the result of an electric blanket left switched on which, in conjunction with something left on the bed, caused it to overheat.
"It started in one of the bedrooms and it's possibly an electric blanket, but due to the damage we will never know," Mr Greene said.
The house was severely damaged and it looked likely it would need to be demolished.
Luckily the house had three working smoke alarms, "which was good" and meant the occupants were quickly aware of the blaze, Mr Greene said.
Housing NZ area manager Dale Bradley said its staff arranged for the tenant to stay in a motel following the fire.
"We have identified a suitable property for him and his family in Greymouth, which is where he has indicated he wishes to now live," Mr Bradley said.
"This property could become available as soon as tomorrow and we will be supporting the tenant into this new property."
Mr Greene said the blaze, along with a similar fire in Westport a fortnight ago, was a timely warning for people to treat electric blankets with caution.
Electric blankets should not be folded up for storage but rather hung or rolled up.
"Make sure they're nice and flat on the bed. Have them checked by a registered electrician.
"The big thing is don't store things on the bed and don't sleep with the electric blanket on.
"Most of the [electric blanket] fires we go to is because something has been left on top of the bed."
Other safety tips from the Fire Service included not using pins or sharp objects to secure the electric blanket to the bed and never tuck it in under the bed.
Soiled electric blankets should be sponged lightly and allowed to dry naturally on a flat surface, but never dry cleaned or put into a washing machine or spin dryer.
Electric blanket users needed to ensure controls or cords were not twisted or caught between the mattress and the base of the bed - twisted cords being the biggest cause of electric blanket fires.
