Death of person in burning 4WD 'unexplained'

The death of a person who was found at the scene of a burning 4WD in forest in south Waikato yesterday is being treated by police as "unexplained''.

Fire Services were called to Ohakuri, between Tokoroa and Taupo, about 9.45am after receiving reports of smoke, fire spokeswoman Nicole Bernard said.

When fire services arrived a 4WD vehicle was fully ablaze and a body was found at the scene.

Ms Bernard said the fire was not the result of a crash.

Police spokeswoman Kim Perks said it was too early to say whether the death was suspicious, so it was being treated as unexplained until more detail was known.

She said the scene had been cordoned off and a scene examination was expected to take hours.

The body would be removed once the scene examination had been completed.

Police were working to identify the body and contact family.