Wellington, Jan 6 NZPA - A Gisborne man has been hospitalised with serious burns to a quarter of his body after a house bus caught fire early this morning.

The 41-year-old was pulled from the flaming vehicle by family members about 5am.

Crews operating two fire trucks and a tanker attended to the blazing bus, putting the fire out in about 15 minutes, a Gisborne fire station spokesman said.

Firefighters who examined the scene afterwards thought the fire had started accidentally, he said.

The man was initially taken to Gisborne Hospital. However, he was taken to Waikato Hospital by the Westpac Waikato Air Ambulance about 6.30am, after initial treatment for burns, pilot Dan Harcourt said.

The fire had apparently started while the man was cooking, Mr Harcourt said.

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