Family lose everything in fire
A Winton family of six, who fled a burning house two weeks ago, are picking up the pieces of their lives thanks to the generous support of their community.
The Golds, who live on a farm near Winton in Southland, woke up to a fire in the early hours of August 2.
They escaped in their pyjamas with their lives but not much else.
Nathan Gold, an assistant farm manager, his wife Elisha, a relief milker, and their children Emma, 14, Carlin, 13, Ashton, 11, and Tyler, 10, were asleep in the farmhouse on Browns-Otapiri Rd, near Winton when they woke up to smoke at about 1.30am.
The three older children, who slept in the newer part of the onestorey house, jumped out the windows, and ran yelling outside to their parents’ bedroom in the older part of their home, Nathan said.
‘‘By the time I woke up, and hit the wall and fell over, as you do, and ran down the hall, not knowing what to expect, they were all out except for the youngest who was sitting on the bed.’’
Having made sure all the children and his wife were safely out of the house, he ran around to the garages out the back, and evacuated the dog, the family car and his farm bike.
‘‘At that stage the whole of the front was burning but the back was okay.’’
Fire crews were called, and four trucks and three tankers fought the fire.
The house was extensively damaged, with all of their possessions destroyed in the blaze, including treasured baby photos.
They had no contents insurance.
The Golds’ employer put them up in a motel for four nights before moving them into another worker’s house on the property, which had become vacant.
‘‘The fire was on the Friday morning, and we had the kids back at school by the Monday to keep things as normal as possible,’’ he said.
Being calving season, Nathan had to keep working.
‘‘It took a long time for it to sink in. The old adrenalin kept going, and you think you’re doing okay, then you see that pile of rubble and it brings back the memories.’’
He said they were coping well, and trying to put on a brave face.
‘‘People have been absolutely amazing. People I have never been in contact with and didn’t even know have donated stuff.’’
Clothing, beds, linen, furniture and small appliances had been donated.
People had dropped off goods at Hillside Primary where the children go to school, and the Salvation Army had also kitted them out with what they needed, he said. The local rugby club had also got behind the family.
‘‘People have given us vouchers – it’s been bloody overwhelming really. I was in the pharmacy getting a couple of things when the guy behind the counter was talking about the fire and I said, ‘yes, that was me’. There was an old lady in the shop, and she gave me a New World voucher, and said she was sorry, that I needed it more than she did.’’
His stepmother Shona and father Fraser Gold started a Givealittle appeal to try and help the family get re-established.
‘‘We are so proud of the kids. They alerted their parents by running and yelling outside. They did just the right thing. They’ve been incredibly brave.’’
The family gave thanks to the ‘‘incredibly generous’’ community who had helped them out in their time of need.
On Wednesday, a Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesperson said an investigation had been completed but because of the extent of the damage to the property, the cause and origin of the fire was unable to be determined.
The owner of the farm and farmhouse that burnt down, Sean Portegys, who lives near Alexandra, said the fire had reinforced the value of smoke alarms.
‘‘That house went up so quickly. It wasn’t the smoke that saved that family, it was the smoke alarms. It highlighted to me that without them, there would have been quite a different outcome.’’
He was well-insured, and planned to build a four-bedroom brick and tile house to replace the 1920s farmhouse for his workers to move into before next winter.
But the ‘‘heartbreak’’ was that the contents were not insured, and as an employer he would be insisting in future that employees take out contents insurance.
‘‘People have been absolutely amazing. People I have never been in contact with and didn’t even know have donated stuff.’’ Nathan Gold