Two people suffered minor burns in a house fire in Arataki overnight.

Firefighters were called to Grenada St around 8.15pm to find the house 'well ablaze on arrival”, says Tauranga Senior Station Officer Kevin Cowper.

Firefighters quickly brought the house fire under control after arriving at the scene on Grenada St last night.

The fire was quickly brought under control, but about 50 per cent of the house was gutted and the rest suffered smoke damage.

'The house was occupied at the time of the fire and the occupants, a man, a woman and a child managed to escape the property. Both adults suffered minor burns and were treated by firefighters at the scene.”

The cause of the fire is still being investigated, however, a pot of oil on a stove top is being viewed as a possible cause.

Kevin says the Fire Service encourages people to remain vigilant while cooking and if they have to leave the kitchen for any reason, the stove should be turned off.

'People often don't realise just how quickly a fire can start and they need to prepare their families for what to do in the event of a fire.”

The house was fitted with smoke alarms but it is believed the batteries had been removed.

'In this case it probably didn't make much difference to the outcome as the fire was discovered quite quickly,” says Kevin, 'however if the fire had started while the occupants were asleep, the outcome could have been tragic.”