Fire forces refugee family to start again
A family of five Colombian refugees have only the clothes on their back after a house fire destroyed all their belongings.
The Buitrons escaped the conflict of Colombia three years ago and came to Invercargill as resettled refugees.
A fire ripped through the home they were renting on Tuesday.
Luisa Buitron said it meant ‘‘everything we have built up, everything we have worked hard for, turned to ashes’’.
Elkin and Luisa Buitron have three children aged under 17.
Their oldest daughter loves photography, but the camera they saved hard to buy has been destroyed.
Luisa said all the family’s dreams had been burnt up in the fire, which started in the house about 11am on Tuesday.
Fire risk management officer Scott Lanauze said there had been a catastrophic electrical event.
Lanauze said he did not know if it was the wiring in the stove.
No-one was home at the time, and a passerby heard the smoke alarms, Lanauze said.
The Buitrons slept at a family member’s house in south Invercargill on Tuesday night, and even that was interrupted by a wide-scale power blackout.
Fellow resettled Colombians and people in the wider community began dropping off items, almost filling an entire room in their family member’s house to help the family out.
‘‘Despite the darkness, we could really see the brightness of the community shining through,’’ Luisa said.
Since the fire their landlord had shown amazing support, which they appreciated.
However, they felt confused and frustrated, as they began contacting government departments and doctors to replace their essential items, such as medicines and documentation.
The family was struggling to find emergency housing, and said they were ‘‘hitting brick wall after brick wall’’ trying to find somewhere to live in the 24 hours since the fire.
Losing the house, which they loved, was even more devastating because they believed other Invercargill houses they had lived in were not up to healthy homes standards.
‘‘They were horrible, so having this house was a blessing,’’ Luisa said.
A Givealittle fundraising page has been set up and a family liaison can be contacted to organise delivery of items.