Boy dies after fire in disused building
A 10-year-old boy injured in a building fire in Hastings on Monday afternoon has died.
The boy, who was one of two injured in the blaze, died in Hawke’s Bay Hospital early yesterday, police confirmed.
A 9-year-old remained in a stable condition in a children’s ward.
Five men, thought to have headed into the blaze to help the boys, were taken to hospital with smoke inhalation, but were treated and discharged.
David Jones’ business, David Jones Motors, is next to the building that went up.
Jones said he heard screaming then a loud ‘‘whoompf’’ before thick black smoke began billowing out of the building.
He said it happened within seconds, and he yelled out to one of his employees, who was a volunteer firefighter.
‘‘I yelled, there’s kids in one of those buildings, and it’s on fire, so he went around the back and we got hoses.’’
Jones understood it had been roading contractors from across the street, and staff or customers from Burger King, who had helped rescue the children.
He and his staff then got water on the building in an attempt to put the fire out, and said emergency services were on the scene within seconds.
Neither contractors nor Burger King staff wanted to comment when approached.
Acting Hastings mayor Sandra Hazelhurst had been with the family at a local community centre yesterday afternoon.
‘‘We’re doing everything we can to support the whanau. We’ve just been at the community centre to work with police and the district health board to find ways to support them at this very very sad time.’’
The fire broke out about 2.30pm on Monday in a disused garage.
Police were yet to speak to the people involved, and were still working out what had happened.