UPDATE 1PM: A second Papamoa police officer who helped Senior Constable Adrian Oldham save an elderly woman from her burning home in Mount Maunganui overnight has agreed to be named.

Police have confirmed that Papamoa Police Constable Shane McCarthy was the other officer who smashed a window and helped pull a 77-year-old woman from her smoke logged Maranui Street home.

Senior Constable Adrian Oldham managed to pull a 77-year-old woman to safety as her house went up in flames. Photo: Bruce Barnard.

Both men are being praised for their actions by Police Commissioner Mike Bush today who said the officers 'acted in the finest traditions of the NZ Police”.

"We put victims at the centre of everything we do and these two police officers have demonstrated this through their selfless actions last night," said Mr Bush today.

"Every day I see the outstanding work which the men and women of New Zealand Police undertake to keep people safe in their communities. Last night's rescue could not be a better demonstration of this.

"I have spoken to both officers and conveyed my thanks to them.”

Constable McCarthy will not take part in tomorrow's media conference where Senior Constable Oldham will speak, alongside BOP Inspector Clifford Paxton.

Police this morning said Adrian was recovering after being taken to Tauranga Hospital with cuts to his hands and smoke inhalation. He has since been discharged and is on days-off.

'He is on days off with commitments today and we also need to bear in mind that he was hospitalised himself last night so he has asked for 24 hours,” says Kim Perks, BOP police communications manager.

The 53-year-old officer was driving past Maranui Street on a routine patrol about 6.30pm on Sunday when he noticed a house on fire.

He ran to a ranch slider and began banging on the door, at which point the 77-year-old resident inside came towards the door. Police earlier said as the woman tried to unlock the door she collapsed and fell backwards disappearing into the black smoke filling the room.

Adrian then attempted to break the door but was unable to get access and instead smashed a side window and frame to gain access to the house.

He searched through the black smoke but was unable to locate the woman. Struggling for breath he was forced to go back to the window for air, before making a second attempt crawling through the house feeling his way along the floor to try to find the woman.

After locating her and pulling her to the window, Adrian and Constable McCarthy who entered through another window, laid their duty jackets across the broken window and were able to pull the woman from the house to safety.

Mount Maunganui and Tauranga Fire Brigades were at this time onscene, along with St John paramedics.

Both the woman and Adrian were taken to Tauranga Hospital for smoke inhalation treatment. Adrian also suffered cuts to his hands.

Mount Maunganui Fire Brigade station officer Steve Wright today told SunLive a faulty electric blanket is fire that gutted the home.

He says the single-storey house was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived, taking about 30 minutes to extinguish and a further two hours to dampen down hot spots.

'There were flames issuing from the outside of the house so it fully involved when we arrived,” says Steve.

Steve says some brief comments from the woman confirmed she was the sole occupant and once gas to the home's heating system was isolated firefighters were able to enter the house.

He says there is no need for further investigations as the woman was 'lucid and very clear” with the sequence of events.

The house is completely gutted from the blaze and if smoke alarms were installed the damage may not have been so severe, says Steve.

'I'm not 100 per cent sure but it does appear she didn't have smoke alarms because I'm confident that if she did she would have got out of the house sooner.

'The house is completely gutted. We managed to save some photos and bits and pieces of memorabilia, but everything is damaged.”

Tauranga Hospital communications advisor James Fuller says the woman is in a stable condition and the police officer has since been treated and discharged.