Fire razes first-home buyers’ dream
$59 million weapon rollout
A family’s long quest for home ownership has been blackened by a fire that has gutted the first house they could call their own.
Firefighters put out a serious fire at the Palmerston North property on Wednesday afternoon and were called back to the house on Thursday morning after a neighbour spotted flames coming through the roof at 6am.
A couple, who identified themselves as the owners to the Standard, but did not wish to be named, waited outside the Kimberley Grove house on Thursday as fire investigators examined the cause. They had only bought the house six months ago.
‘‘We’re devastated,’’ the woman said. ‘‘Everything we own is gone.’’
Neither was home when the alarm was raised. The woman was walking their 6-year-old daughter home from school and arrived to find chaos. They were insured and relieved no-one was hurt, but were still taking in the damage and what they would do next.
‘‘We waited 16 years to get on the property ladder and finally bought a house in December,’’ she said.
‘‘We just started renovating the bathroom and had lots of ideas and were doing it bit by bit.’’
The woman said neighbours had been fantastic, rallying around the family and lending them clothes.
When the fire was first spotted, neighbours broke down the front door to check no-one was inside.
‘‘Apparently kicking the door open is the worst thing you could do, because it’s dangerous,’’ a neighbour said, declining to give his name.
But fearful the family were inside, and after at first being beaten back because of the thick smoke, he and another man ran at the front door.
‘‘We kicked it open and just poof – smoke and heat. We couldn’t see. There was nothing we could do.
‘‘Another two people jumped the fence from the back and were yelling out and trying to get everyone out, and to get animals out,’’ he said.
Afterwards, neighbours said smoke had been building around the group of houses for much of Wednesday, but had been assumed to be from a rubbish fire.
‘‘It was my partner who made the initial [111] call. It was a very very thick black smoke. It was just smouldering,’’ the neighbour said.
Another neighbour, who would only give her first name, Helen, was the first to spot the fire flare up again on Thursday, and said she was surprised no other trees or houses close to the flames caught alight.
‘‘I opened the door and walked out to pick my paper up and flames were coming up from under the roof.
‘‘In the time from me calling to say it had reignited, to [the firefighters] coming down the drive, it had really spread. It was very scary.’’
She has put smoke alarm batteries on her shopping list.
‘‘It’s terrible for them. It makes you realise it’s so important to have smoke alarms.’’
Acting Palmerston North fire station officer Barry Madgwick said the cause of the blaze was not yet known, but the focal point of investigations was at the back of the house, where the bedrooms were.
‘‘When we arrived [on Thursday morning], the house was 50 per cent involved in fire again. It was visible from quite a way away.
‘‘There was significant damage from the initial fire and that’s compounded it.’’
Fire investigators were working at the property on Thursday morning and were joined by police in the afternoon. Rifles from a new $59 million weapons package have fired their first shots at Waiouru Military Camp.
The MARS-L rifle, bought to replace the old Steyr rifle, recently arrived in New Zealand and on Thursday a group of soldiers at Waiouru were among the first to train with them.
More than 9000 weapons are set to be rolled out throughout the New Zealand Defence Force as part of a $59m package, which includes the rifles, advanced optical sights, grenade launchers and support and simulation equipment.
Lieutenant Colonel Aidan Shattock, commanding officer of the 1st Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment, said the first shipment of new rifles arrived in May.
They would be rolled out across all three defence services, but 1st Battalion was on its way to being the first unit to use them in service.
Shattock said each weapon could be personalised and adjusted to suit the individual, including becoming ambidextrous.
The Steyr rifles, purchased in 1985, were ‘‘at the end of their shelf life’’ and the new capabilities of the MARS-L, including a longer range and scope, made them better prepared for modern times.
‘‘It links into what we are experiencing in Afghanistan, when we are trying to engage in those long ranges, being able to see is pretty important.’’ Shattock said soldiers were shooting targets from as far as
900 metres away,
which would have almost been impossible with the Steyr.
‘‘Before we knew the limits with the Steyr, so now it’s understanding we can do a lot more with it.
‘‘The Steyr has been really, really good and it’s done us some really good service, but it’s got old.’’
Looking after their equipment was important and Shattock said the first thing soldiers were taught was how to pull the rifle apart, put it back together and clean it.
He believed the new technology put them ahead of the game.
‘‘This weapon system is a leading edge weapon system in the world.
‘‘We have done extensive testing before purchasing.’’
It was Lance Corporal Byron Baremau’s first day firing the MARS-L.
‘‘So far, shooting it, it’s nice to shoot, minimal kickback, which is something we look for in a rifle.’’
Having trained to use the Steyr, Baremau said the latest training sessions were more about changing their muscle memory from the old rifle to the new.
The detachable grenade launcher was a great feature, as was the ambidextrous controls, he said. The MARS-L would be rolled out across the country over the next
18 months.