Subj : Police name man who died in suspicious Northland house fire
To   : All
From : News
Date : Thu May 02 2024 12:46 pm

Police have released the name of a man who died in a "suspicious" fire in
Northland earlier this week.

He was 61-year-old Hoani Reupena-Tuoro of Whangarei - known to family and
friends as John Reuben.

Emergency services were alerted early on Monday morning to the blaze on
Thomas St in Tikipunga, Whangarei district.

"Police investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing and we continue
to support the whanau, dealing with the loss of their loved one in such
tragic circumstances," a spokesperson said.

Reupena-Tuoro was found inside the property when the blaze had been
extinguished - but he died at the scene, despite the efforts by first
responders.

Detective Inspector Al Symonds thanked the public for their help so far in
contributing to the investigation. "However, we would still like to hear from
anyone who was in the area or who may have information in relation to this
incident.

"Whangarei Police have launched an online portal as part of its investigation
and the public are being asked to upload any photos or video they may have of
the incident, which occurred on Thomas St at around 3am on Monday."

People were otherwise urged to provide information by calling 105.

Fire and Emergency NZ shift manager Paul Radden told 1News on Monday: "[The]
brigade arrived to find a car and house, well involved.

He said the person - now identified as Reupena-Tuoro - died "due to injuries
related to the fire", which was being treated as suspicious.

"The deceased person was found and removed from the scene by FENZ.

"He was alive at that point and despite the best efforts of FENZ and police
staff, he passed away at the scene."

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