Firefighters were called to the scene of the fatal house fire about midnight.

Police have found a car linked to a fatal house fire in Auckland overnight.

Police and the Fire Service were called to the blaze in a block of flats on Rainford St in Mt Roskill at 11.56pm on Tuesday.

Crews from three fire trucks battled the "well-involved" blaze in one of the four flats in the building, Fire Service northern communications acting shift manager Karen Larking said.

Supplied/NZ Police Auckland police have located a red Honda Fit, similar to this one, which was missing from a burnt-out house in Mt Roskill.

A person was found dead inside the flat.

On Wednesday, police said they were looking for a red Honda Fit hatchback which was "linked to" the address.

The car was found early on Wednesday evening parked on a Mt Roskill street.

DAVID WHITE/FAIRFAXNZ The scene of a fatal house fire in Rainford Street Mt Roskill,

Police said they were trying to establish why it wasn't at the property.

Earlier, Detective Inspector Scott Beard said locating the vehicle would "help piece together events of last night in regards to the fatal fire".

Beard said the cause of the fire and the death remained unexplained on Wednesday afternoon.

"Until further enquiries are completed we cannot confirm the victim's identity."

Fire safety and police were both investigating and specialist investigators were at the house on Wednesday morning. The house was cordoned off by police.

One resident from the flatting complex, who did not wish to be named, said the properties were owned by Housing New Zealand.

They said they woke during the night after hearing people speaking in Cantonese on the street outside their flat.

The noise came from a group of about 20 people who had gathered during the fire.