The Papamoa community is organising to provide for the family of seven left with just the clothes they were wearing after a fire destroyed their rental property.

Only two of the family were at home at about 2.40pm when the fire took hold at the Dickson Road home, reports the Papamoa Facebook page.

Fire broke out in a Papamoa home yesterday.

'Thankfully the loud yelling of neighbours alerted one of the parents inside the house who escaped with their youngest aged 6 months.

'The others were out at church or local shops.”

Fire Safety officer John Rewi is investigating the cause of the fire, which resulted in a blaze that sent a column of black smoke into the air that was visible from Tauranga.

Flames of several metres were also seen pouring from the building before they were extinguished by firefighters from Papamoa, Mount Maunganui, Greerton, and Tauranga.

A givealittle page is set up in the disaster category to help raise funds for the family.

This morning $1305 had been donated by 18 donors.

The Papamoa Facebook page is organising where donations of clothing for the five children, and appliances can be dropped off.

The drop-off point for non-perishable food and freezable food (meals need to be in freezable containers) is the Papamoa Family Support Centre between 9am and 4pm.

A family member is helping put together a list of clothing sizes and items that the children and parents are needing, and those will be able to be dropped off to the centre too.

"For furniture and largehold items, those can't be dropped at the centre, so we're just finalising some points for that," says Rosalie.

SunLive will publish more details on where to donate larger items soon.