The 32 year old woman who died in a house fire in Rotorua is being buried in Te Puna.

This afternoon Deena Borell's body arrived at Te Puna's Paparoa Marae where her tangi is being held.

Mourners are arriving at Paparoa Marae in Te Puna for the funeral of Deena Borell, who died in a Rotorua house fire early Monday morning.

She was born in Tauranga and grew up in Te Puna before moving to Rotorua with her new partner several years ago.

Deena and her family had only just moved into their new home on Clayton Road in the Rotorua suburb of Western Heights.

They were in it for less than two days when it went up in flames early Monday morning.

Deena's uncle, Billy Borell, says the entire family is devastated by Deena's death.

'I was really stunned. It was terrible, a real tragedy,” says Billy.

He says Deena was a shy person who got on well with the large Borell whanau.

'She was a quiet sort of girl – she was close to her mother and father.”

Rotorua Fire Service specialist, fire investigator Stuart Bootten, says Deena was alive as fire ripped through the home and was seen desperately trying to escape.

He says early investigations indicate Deena was smoking in bed, but then fell asleep.

She only woke up after flames began spreading through the bedroom and the rest of the house, says Stuart.

'We believe the problem was that the fire developed too quickly and when she woke up she was disorientated because her surroundings were quite new,” says Stuart.

He says the woman was seen trying to fight her way unsuccessfully through the flames.

Two brothers who lived nearby are now being considered for bravery medals after they tried to save her.

Fire Service investigators at the house.

The fire gutted the Clayton Road house in the early hours of Monday morning.