Fire victim a boy with ready smile

A boy with an infectious smile who could make anyone laugh died early yesterday morning after a suspicious fire at a property in Hastings.

The 10-year-old was rushed to hospital on Monday afternoon but did not survive his injuries. Police are yet to release his name.

Peter Kireka, his teacher at Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Ngati Kahungunu ki Heretaunga for the past two years, said he was an inquisitive student who always had something to say.

“He was very passionate about what he believed was right.”

Kireka said he shared a love for kapa haka and was in the group set to represent Ngati Kahungunu at the Te Mana Kuratahi National Primary School Kapahaka Competition in Gisborne in November.

He was popular and your typical Kiwi boy, said Kireka. “He had lots of mates and everyone knew who he was. He was that kind of person.”

Kireka said the boy had had a promising future and he would have turned out to be a good person.

However, the school community could take comfort in the fact he would now be back with his best friend, who died in the last school holidays from an asthma attack.

Others took to Facebook to express their sorrow, with some describing the news as “heartbreaking”.

A 9-year-old boy taken to hospital in a serious condition after the fire, was yesterday in a stable condition in the children’s ward at Hutt Hospital.

Police said investigators had examined the disused building but inquiries were ongoing.

The building was owned by Outdoor Power and was listed for lease.