Gas explosion victim in critical condition
A Taranaki man is in critical condition in Waikato Hospital after his house burst into flames following a gas explosion.
The man was seriously burnt before he and his partner got out of their New Plymouth flat with the help of their neighbour, who rushed to get a ladder for them to escape via a second storey balcony.
Yesterday, New Plymouth Fire and Emergency senior station officer Jason Crowe said the 120-year-old cottage had been divided into two flats.
The pair were in the upstairs flat and one person was in the bottom flat when the explosion occurred on Tuesday night.
Shortly after the explosion the downstairs occupant grabbed a wooden ladder and put it against the upstairs balcony so the couple trapped there could escape, Crowe said.
‘‘It was super quick thinking,’’ he said. ‘‘The upper floor occupants were able to escape.’’
He said it was a timely reminder to always have an escape plan in place and make sure homes had working smoke alarms.
A St John Ambulance spokeswoman said all three occupants were transported to Taranaki Base Hospital on Tuesday night, two with minor injuries and one with serious injuries.
A Taranaki District Health Board spokeswoman said the
man who was seriously injured was flown to Waikato Hospital around 4am on Wednesday morning.
About midday yesterday, a Waikato District Health Board spokeswoman said the man was in critical condition in ICU.
Crews of firefighters worked for almost six hours to put out the blaze in the historic central city cottage.
Neighbours of the property reported hearing a loud explosion moments before the cottage was engulfed in flames.
Initially there were reports a person was missing but it was later established everyone was accounted for.
Yesterday, specialist fire investigator Andrew Cotter said the explosion was caused by gas and further investigations were under way. Cotter had said previously that the blaze destroyed the cottage and caused some damage to a neighbouring house, but firefighters had done a ‘‘fabulous job’’ preventing it from spreading further.