As work is underway to shore up and make safe a Hamilton home so Police and Fire investigators can establish what caused the blaze, senior Waikato Police and Fire Service officers are urging people who were at the address overnight to come forward.
Detective Senior Sergeant Graham Pitkethley of the Waikato CIB said the cause of the fire at the two storey wooden dwelling on Collingwood St was unexplained and as a result would be treated as suspicious until confirmed otherwise.
"We believe there was a party at the property overnight and we urge anyone who attended the address to make contact with Police so we can work to firm up identities of people present.
"We believe four people were treated by ambulance staff at the scene and fire-fighters have confirmed the discovery of three bodies, we understand seven people reside at the six bedroom home."
Waikato Fire Commander, Roy Breeze, said emergency services were called to the fire about 5am and arrived to find it well alight.
"The house has been extensively damaged both inside and out and a priority right now is for us to construct framework within the house to make it safe for members of our Urban Search and Rescue team (USAR) to conduct a search and clear the house.
"Once this is done Police and Fire Investigators will conduct their forensic examinations to determine what caused the fire. The building is currently very insecure and a priority for us is to make it a safe environment for the various teams to work in."
Mr Pitkethley said it was likely the recovery operation would take some time so it is imperative anyone that was at the address who hasn't already spoken to Police make contact with them.
"Obviously at this time Police and Victim Support are dealing with a number of distraught families and we are working to ensure they get all the assistance that they can. This is obviously a very emotional time made all the more so by the fact there are delays in clearing the building and recovering the bodies.
"At this time we would ask on the families' behalf that their privacy be respected and both the Police and Fire Service would like to express their condolences to the families and communities effected."
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