A young mother and her three-year-old daughter are dead after their family home went up in flames in Christchurch last night.
Four of the girl’s siblings were also injured in the house fire in the suburb of Mairehau, police said this afternoon.
They were aged between 10 weeks and five years old and were admitted to hospital.
Police earlier this evening said a 23-year-old woman, the mother of the children, was in a critical condition in hospital and "not expected to survive her injuries”.
In an update about 6,50pm police confirmed the young woman "has now sadly died".
Three of the surviving children have been discharged and are in the care of family members. A two-year-old remains in hospital in a stable condition, with moderate injuries.
Firefighters spent Friday morning investigating the cause of the fire, although police have said it is not believed to be suspicious.
Neighbours earlier described rushing to help the family at the Whitehall St property.
One neighbour, who asked not to be named, told RNZ she heard screaming and shouting from the house when the fire broke out.
Another said a man from the house banged on his door, asking for help.
He and his wife then gathered three of the children from the berm - a baby and two young children - and kept them at their house until ambulance staff arrived to collect them.
They said they were shocked and heartbroken by the child's death.
Emergency services were first called at 8.25pm on Thursday with cordons in place on Whitehall Street and Hills Road.
Detective Senior Sergeant Jo Carolan said a scene guard was put in place at the property overnight.
"Police will be carrying out a scene examination today, including working with Fire and Emergency New Zealand fire investigators," she said.
They said they were shocked and heartbroken by the child's death.
Police Commissioner Richard Chambers who visited the scene last night has today expressed his support for those affected.
"These tragic incidents are not easy for staff and whenever possible I do try to show up to offer my support for them."
He was visiting Christchurch to thank staff involved in the investigation and ongoing trial relating to the death of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming, who was fatally struck by a car in Nelson early on New Year’s Day in 2025.
Police Commissioner Richard Chambers visited the scene on Thursday night to support local staff.
"These tragic incidents are not easy for staff and whenever possible I do try to show up to offer my support for them," he said.
Chambers was in the city to thank staff involved in the investigation and High Court trial for the man accused of murdering Nelson Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming.
Strike action called off
Firefighters have decided to call off a nationwide one-hour strike from noon today due to the tragedy.
The NZPFU National Committee said the decision had been made in recognition of "the impact of the fire on the whānau (of those who were in the house), their wider support network and in recognition the loss and devastation will be widely felt by Christchurch and ripple through the country".
"We acknowledge the efforts of all those that responded, including the 111 emergency dispatchers and the firefighting crews with work continuing today with fire investigation members and the impact this incident will have had on them all."
Cancelling the strike was a way to show support, the committee said.
Christchurch Metro Area Commander Superintendent Lane Todd said emergency services worked at the scene until late on Thursday night.
- Allied Media and RNZ
