The NZ Fire Service has released a 360-degree video of a burning house, which doubles as a virtual reality game with the aim of escaping the fire.
Station Officer Chris Kennedy said it was a safe environment to remind people how fast fires spread.
People generally believed they were capable of escaping a house fire but that confidence was often misguided, he said.
He said many people could not comprehend how quickly everything went from okay to uncontrollable and not survivable.
Kennedy said the video, produced in partnership with advertising agency FCB, was a timely use of technology.