Hero dad saves baby
Father burst into burning home, crawled through smoke and grabbed his child.
AWaikato woman could only watch in horror as her husband burst into their burning home and crawled through thick smoke to get to their 1-year-old daughter.
The blaze, which engulfed the converted shed in rural Gordonton, broke out just after 5pm on Friday.
Courtney Thomas said last night that the fire had gutted the home she shared with her husband, Daniel, and their three children.
The 25-year-old had been at the main house on the property, where Daniel’s parents live, with the pair’s twin toddlers Mason and Landon while Daniel worked on the shed.
“I had just bought the twins some new toys and they had decided wanted to go over to show Poppa the toys,” Courtney said.
She was sitting outside the main house when everyone realised something was wrong.
“We saw smoke then we heard Daniel yell something and he started running. He had heard the fire alarm — he could hear it beeping through the wall of the shed.”
Courtney said Daniel raced to the front door of their home.
“He opened the door and all you could see was black.
“He just ran straight in and as I watched him go I saw a glass panel by our door shatter.”
Daniel dropped to his knees once inside the house and crawled through the smoke to daughter Addilynn’s room. The 28-year-old grabbed his daughter and jumped out the window.
“The fire investigator was saying that if Daniel had tried to go back through the front door, he wouldn’t have got out.
“He wouldn’t have made it.”