Firefighters dealt with a ceiling fire in a house in Invercargill just after 3am today.
Two fire crews were sent to the scene at Lewis St, Gladstone, and they removed roofing iron to allow them to extinguish the fire, a Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesman said.
Fire investigator Murray Milne-Maresca said the fire had been caused by a leaking roof after water got into electrical equipment.
Coming into winter, it was important to get leaks repaired as they could be a fire hazard, he said
