Woman dies after fire engulfs home
A woman has died after a fire tore through a Palmerston North home overnight.
Marama Plumridge died surrounded by her wha¯nau at Palmerston North Hospital yesterday after she was caught in a house fire, according to the schools she devoted herself to.
Emergency services rushed to her home on Clutha Pl, Palmerston North, at 11.30pm on Thursday.
The home was engulfed in flames on arrival, Fire and Emergency spokesman Chris Dalton said. Plumridge was rushed to Palmerston North Hospital in critical condition, where she later died.
Queen Elizabeth College and Monrad Tirohanga Intermediate announced her death on their Facebook pages.
‘‘She was deputy chair of our board and fronted on all the hard decisions such as discipline meetings and signing endless papers,’’ Queen Elizabeth College’s post said.
‘‘We are deeply saddened by her passing.’’
Monrad said Plumridge, its whaea, or mother, had touched the lives of many pupils, staff and wha¯nau during her time at the kura.
Police had stationed an officer at the scene overnight to protect the home and investigators were sifting through the ashes early on yesterday morning to determine the cause of the blaze.
Fire investigator Graeme Mcintyre said they were not able to determine the cause of the fire definitively and had passed the investigation to police, who continue to make inquiries.
A witness to the blaze, who didn’t want to be named, said she was watching television in her home when she heard windows smashing and screams from the home.
Believing it was a domestic violence incident, the witness ran to help the woman, but as she stepped outside she saw smoke and flames billowing out of the windows.
Plumridge was lying on the pavement near her home as neighbours tried to ease her pain before ambulance officers arrived to treat her.