A fire that gutted a Napier house and injured three people this morning was started by a towel being too close to a heater.
Fire services were called to the blaze on Wharerangi Road in Tamatea at 5.25am, but were unable to prevent it from consuming the majority of the house, Napier fire station officer Jamie Nichol said.
"The property's about 80 percent damaged," Mr Nichol said.
It would most likely be demolished, he said.
Mr Nichol said three occupants of the house were taken to hospital suffering from either burns or smoke inhalation.
One man received a small burn to his hand when a towel ignited as he grabbed it off the heater and two other people were being treated for smoke inhalation.
