Bay of Plenty Airbnb owner offers place to family who lost their home in a fire

Tenant Soraya Morrison said she arrived at the house while it was still burning.

An Airbnb owner has offered her place to a young family who lost their home in a fire.

The local community have also been supporting the family by donating clothing, bedding and kitchenware.

Chanelle Midwood, 27, said she, her daughter Soraya and a flatmate "lost everything" after a fire destroyed their rental property on Monday morning in Aongatete in the Western Bay of Plenty.

Airbnb owner Rochelle Zajko said she found out about the fire on a community Facebook page, and did not know Midwood and her daughter before it happened.

Zajko said many people were posting on Facebook and asking how they could help.

"I just happened to say, 'Well, she needs a place to stay. Just offer her my place and she can get in contact if she needs to.

"And so she did from there."

Zajko said the Airbnb was "really new" and it had just gone online. Midwood and Soraya would be the first people to stay in it.

"It's just blocked out for her.

"I just thought, well, okay, if it was me and our house burned down, we don't have family close by - what the heck would we do?

"I'd want a community like that, so I just wanted to be a part of that.

"Everyone's a part of it - it's not me, it's the whole road really. It's pretty awesome."

Chanelle Midwood and her daughter Soraya lost their home in a fire on Monday. Photo / Supplied

Midwood said she had been staying with whānau in Taupō and Tāmaki Makurau. She was planning to return to Aongatete on Sunday to take up Zajko's offer.

She said Zajko had offered her Airbnb for her to "stay as long as you want", and was thankful for her generosity.

Many other people had also offered places for them to stay in, she said.

Midwood said she was "really thankful" for the local community and their generosity, particularly the Wright Rd community.

Midwood said she and her daughter, along with her flatmate, were still looking for a permanent rental.

The Fire Service said the blaze was a 'timely reminder for residents to have working smoke alarms and an escape plan'.

Leigh Speedy, a friend of Midwood's, said they met when Midwood's daughter was attending BestStart Ōmokoroa.

After the fire happened, Speedy said she was supporting Midwood, who was getting "inundated" with people messaging and asking if they could bring her clothes.

"I decided to take it off her hands and just have a drop-off point here [at Best Start Ōmokoroa] where everyone knew, [so] Chanelle didn't have to keep teeing up with everyone."

Donations included clothes, bedding and kitchenware, she said.

"There's been an amazing response."

Donations are still welcome at BestStart Ōmokoroa.

On Thursday, Fire and Emergency community risk manager John Sutton said crews responded to a "well-involved house fire" in Aongatete at 11.32am on Monday.

Three fire trucks, one operational support unit and a fire investigator attended the scene.

Sutton said the investigation into the cause of the fire had been completed and was classified as "undetermined".

"The likely cause was electrical," he said.

"This is a timely reminder for residents to have working smoke alarms and an escape plan. In a real house fire, you have less than three minutes to escape your house."

"Distraught" flatmate speaks out

Tenant Soraya Morrison said she arrived at the house while it was still burning.

When Soraya Morrison arrived at the house, it was "still burning".

"I was in shock."

The 21-year-old was at work when she got a phone call about the fire.

When she arrived at the house, the road was blocked off and the police and fire trucks were there.

"I was pretty distraught."

Morrison said she moved to Aongatete from Taupō three months ago to be closer to family, who she was currently staying with.

"It's just sad because, you know, it's everything I worked for, and all that's just gone.

"I'm grateful we weren't in the house when it happened, because it could have been a lot worse.

"I've had lots of support from everyone, giving me clothes and food and a couple of donations, so it's been good."

Morrison is trying to find another rental in the Western Bay of Plenty.

A Givealittle page has been set up for anyone who wishes to donate.