Family loses everything as O¯ blaze razes another home
Fifth Northland house fire in month leaves more adults, kids out in the cold We’ve had multiple house fires recently so that’s all the more reason to make sure you have smoke alarms in your home. Fire investigator Gary Beer
Another Northland family has been left homeless and lost everything in the region’s fifth house fire in less than a month. The latest blaze destroyed a home at Umawera, on State Highway 1 north of kaihau, early yesterday.
All six occupants — two adults and children aged 3, 4, 6, and 12 — got out uninjured but with nothing more than the clothes they wore. Even their shoes went up in smoke.
The blaze prompted a Fire and Emergency NZ reminder about the importance of having working smoke alarms to give people early warning and more time to flee.
kaihau fire chief Andrew Graham said the alarm was raised about 5.30am, with all six occupants getting out quickly.
Fire appliances responded from kaihau and Kaikohe along with a tanker from Kerikeri.
Investigator Gary Beer said the fire was first seen on the home’s back wall while another occupant, woken by shouts of “Get out, get out!”, saw flames shooting out of the laundry.
He had taken samples for police to analyse but that didn’t mean he was treating the fire as suspicious.
The three-bedroom rented home didn’t have a working smoke alarm.
“It’s a timely reminder. We’ve had multiple house fires recently so that’s all the more reason to make sure you have smoke alarms in your home.” Beer said Northlanders could request a free home-fire safety check by calling 0800 NZ FIRE (0800 693 473). They could call the same number to find if they were eligible for free longlife photoelectric smoke alarms.
Part of the house, which had been relocated from another Umawera section, was more than 100 years old.
Family members were too distraught to speak to the Advocate as they recovered from the shock at nearby Mangamuka Dairy, but confirmed they had lost everything.
They were fortunate, however, in that they had lots of wha¯nau in Umawera and Mangamuka, who would put them up until they found their feet again.
Less than a week earlier solo dad Tui Strachan and his eight children were left homeless after a December 31 fire on Leonard St in Kawakawa. The fire killed their bull terrier, Storm. As of yesterday, $19,000 had been donated to the Strachans via a Givealittle page.
On Christmas Eve, another family lost their home on Hautapu Rd near Moerewa when a fish smoker on the deck caught fire, and on December 18, a house in Tangonge Cres, Kaita¯ia, was destroyed by a suspicious fire.
On December 7, a house on Mason Ave, Moerewa, burned to the ground, leaving a couple and five children without a home.
A major wildfire in Ahipara last week forced the evacuation of up to 100 homes but none was destroyed.