An Auckland community is rallying behind the devastated family of a father and son who died in a house fire earlier this week.
Lee Roycroft and his teenage son, Phoenix, died after a sleepout went up in flames shortly before dawn on Tuesday.
Now, the Coatesville community - a rural suburb in Auckland's north - are pulling together to support the family.
A fundraiser, launched on the Givealittle platform on Wednesday, had already amassed more than $6600 in donations at the time of writing.
The family friend who established the page said the funds would help to ease the financial burden for the family, particularly for Lee's mother and Phoenix's nana.
She described the father and son as "popular and big-hearted people".
"Lee was an amazing, loving dad to Phoenix, wanting the best for him despite having a tough life. He worked hard, was always up for a chat, [and] found it hard to say no to helping others be they people or animals," she wrote.
"A man with a big heart, he was popular with children and parents at the school where he worked and in the wider community."
Phoenix was a boy with a "big smile" and a "gentle nature", she continued.
"Ready with a big smile and up for adventure, Phoenix inherited his dad's gentle nature and was going to be a fine young man.
"There is a huge hole in the hearts of many now and in particular their family."
Lee worked as the caretaker at Coatesville School until a couple of years ago, while Phoenix started at Albany Junior High School this year.
A candlelight vigil will be held in the community on Thursday night.
Fire investigators and police detectives continue to make inquiries. There has been no word yet on the cause of the blaze.
