A Gisborne home was extensively damaged in a blaze after a resident used petrol to light a fire in the fireplace, according to a fire investigator.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand received the first 111 call about the incident on Anzac St near Roebuck Rd about 9.25am today.

Plumes of dense black smoke from the blaze could be seen by firefighters as they responded to the call.

The fire started in the lounge area at the front of the three-bedroom house and spread to involve the kitchen and dining room.

“The firefighters were able to attack it head-on and were able to stop it spreading to the rear of the home,” a specialist fire investigator said.

A specialist fire investigator who examined the fire scene yesterday said the cause was "accidental". Photo / Murray Robertson

“Doors to rooms at the rear were shut, which helped prevent the spread of the fire. However, those rooms suffered smoke damage,” she said.

The fire investigator had determined the cause to be accidental.

“The resident had used petrol to light a fire in the fireplace because they were in a hurry,” she said.

“They dropped the piece of wood they were using to light it and the fire spread rapidly from there.

“Everyone in the house got out, though there were some minor fire-related injuries caused.”

The injuries were treated at the scene by ambulance officers and no one was transported to the hospital.

The investigator said Fire and Emergency NZ knew some people had been using petrol to light their home fires.

“This incident clearly illustrates the risks involved in that dangerous practice.”

The family living in the house have lost just about everything they owned inside the home, according to the investigator.

There were two vehicles parked outside, one was damaged and the other escaped the flames.

“There was also some minor scorching caused to the houses on either side of the extensively damaged home.”

The first firefighters to arrive said the front of the house was fully involved in fire when they got there.

Three fire crews attended.

They were at the house for about an hour and a half and went back later in the day to check for any hot spots.