Resident jumps for life
Local character and dog on hunt for somewhere to live
As Whanga¯rei man Don Hedges leapt out of an upstairs window to escape flames burning down his home, he was worried about his dog Bruno and a woman who was also in the home and whether they would survive the flames.
But after Hedges managed to escape the blaze he found that the woman had got out alive and his beloved dog had been able follow him through the window to safety.
A woman was yesterday assisting police with their inquiries over the suspicious blaze that destroyed the old bungalow that was Hedges’ home. A security guard was at the scene yesterday morning and specialist fire scene investigator Craig Bain was trying to establish the cause of the suspicious fire.
Hedges, a well-known character in Whanga¯rei, said a woman who had been staying in the downstairs part of the home had been drinking when she came upstairs to his room about 10pm on Tuesday night.
“I was trying to go to sleep when she came up and started banging on my door and kicking it and yelling. Then she went back down the stairs.”
He said flames then started leaping up the stairs and he realised he had to escape. He opened the window and leapt out with only the clothes he was wearing.
“Flames were shooting out of the windows and the side of the house, several metres into the air and out of the house from underneath.
“At first I thought she had been incinerated in the fire, but she managed to get out,” Hedges said.
He said he had also been worried that his dog had been unable to get out, but she must have leapt out of the window behind him then fled. She came back a short time later. “She [the fire] went up pretty quickly.
“There must have been quite an accelerant as it just went up so fast.
“It wasn’t a slow thing and the fire was raging. I’m lucky I got out.”
Hedges said the fire, which also destroyed a car near the house, was a spectacular sight and firefighters spent about three hours keeping the flames from spreading to nearby buildings and scrub.
Hedges has another house on the property, but that has been deemed uninhabitable by Whanga¯rei District Council so he was yesterday looking for temporary accommodation for he and his dog.
Police said a woman was arrested on an unrelated matter and late yesterday was helping them in relation to the Limeburners St fire. Investigations were continuing. It appeared the blaze may have started downstairs.