The fire service is calling for parents to be extra attentive to the fire risk posed by children after it was revealed a toddler playing with a lighter was the cause of a blaze that left a house in Hamilton fully engulfed and four people injured.

Fire risk management officer Jess Kukutai says it is believed the child who ignited the massive fire "could have been as young as two".

A live video posted on Facebook on Sunday shows the extent of the inferno and much of the action, as at least 20 fire fighters arrived at the scene to extinguish the blaze using low pressure deliveries and water.

The footage also captured the comical moment a neighbour who had been evacuated from the property next door ran back in to grab himself a bottle of Coke. He had been told to leave because of high winds, which would have made the fire spreading to his home inevitable if not for the intervention of fire fighters.

But that was the only thing even remotely funny to emerge from the incident, as ambulance staff treated one person for moderate injuries and three others for minor injuries.

Fortunately the house was fitted with fire alarms, which alerted the occupants to the danger.