Eunice Felton, 6
A mum turning a stove on to spot cannabis caused a tragic house fire in Palmerston North that killed her young daughter and the girl’s grandmother.
Eunice Felton, 6, and Bessie Tokona, 61, died on September 3, 2015, when a fire erupted in their two-storey state house on Exeter Cres in Palmerston North.
Coroner Tim Scott released his findings on Wednesday and said a report by a specialist fire investigator found the most probable point where the fire started was the stove’s back left element.
He found the two back elements on the stove were left on high by Eunice’s mother Nechia Tokona, and when the fire started, flames melted a fan above the stove.
This caused the motor to fall into or on to a pot full of cooking oil at the left hand rear of the stove, which fell to the floor and caused the fire to spread.
Scott said the only evidence as to how the elements would have been turned on was Nechia Tokona admitting she left them on after spotting cannabis. The revelation surprised Scott. ‘‘She was under no pressure to disclose this information.’’
Initially, he thought she was trying to protect her son, who was the most likely candidate prior to her admission, for leaving on the stove.
‘‘However, I changed my view because it was obvious to me and others that Nechia was extremely upset and crying.
‘‘Her reaction seemed genuine.’’
‘‘Within a short period of time the firefighters themselves came under threat and needed to be rescued.’’ Coroner Tim Scott
Scott said he believed Nechia Tokona had turned both elements on, one by mistake, for spotting cannabis, and said there was no other explanation as to how they came to be on.
By the time firefighters arrived, the house was well ablaze.
Nechia Tokona was trying to fight the fire with a garden hose, but was pulled away by police, who said it was too dangerous.
Eunice was found in her bedroom, but appeared to be dead. Her grandmother could not be located.
‘‘Within a short period of time the firefighters themselves came under threat and needed to be rescued.
‘‘Although they attempted to take Eunice from the building, they were unable to do so.’’
As the lower floor filled with smoke, some family members jumped from the second storey to escape, while others clambered down a wooden ladder fixed outside the house as a fire ladder.
Their escape was hampered somewhat by the upstairs windows in the house, which were fitted with safety latches, so they could only be opened a small distance.
In keeping with Housing NZ’S policy that fire escape routes needed to be user-friendly for everyone, the escape routes from the house were designed to be the two internal stairways and the three doors from the ground storey, Scott said.
He said it was not possible to determine why Bessie Tokona and Eunice were unable to escape, but they were the two most vulnerable of the family.
‘‘Had there been an escape plan, it would likely have included at least two other whanau members tasked to see to the safety of others.’’
But the coroner said this plan would probably have failed, simply because by the time anyone realised the house was on fire, it was full of smoke and the internal stairways were blocked.
The coroner said he understood why Housing NZ would want fire escapes to be used by everyone and the reasoning for the window safety catches.
‘‘However, while I can understand the reasoning, I do not accept it.’’
These policies could have resulted in more fatalities he said.
‘‘When it comes to fires, surely the more escape routes the better, even if some of these cannot be used by all people all of the time.’’