Fire victim’s family picks up pieces

Out the front of a charred Dunedin home, a family is left to pick up the pieces.

The cordon has been lifted around the Nutsford St property where the body of a man was found after a fire ripped through the Housing NZ flat in the early hours of Saturday.

The family, who did not want to be named before the body was formally identified, said they were ‘‘gutted’’.

The victim’s son and daughter, who were outside the property removing items yesterday, said they were alerted about the fire on social media.

‘‘He was a kind man, a bit different,’’ his son said.

‘‘But he would shirt off his back.’’

The son thanked the close-knit Brockville community for their support. ‘‘It means a lot’’. After the fire broke out, some neighbours tried to get into the give you the building but flames forced them back.

Neighbour Shereena Glennie said she woke after hearing ‘‘popping sounds’’ and saw the home fully engulfed.

‘‘It was very scary.’’

She told a police officer the name of the home’s sole occupant. She had not seen him for a few days. loud and very

‘‘He was very proud of his children ... a really nice man ... it is very sad.’’

His friend, Graeme Hunter, said the man had his struggles, but ‘‘had a heart of gold underneath’’.

‘‘Too many people were too quick to put a judgment on him.’’

The man, who could walk but used a wheelchair, made alcohol with a still at the back of the property.

He was a hoarder and belongings on the front lawn.

Residents said he often had tea and coffee ready for any neighbour who wanted to pop in for a drink.

Police are investigating the cause of the fire. had