Pāpāmoa house fire: Public taken on tour of aftermath

Fire staff hope the smell and damage of a burnt-out house will help prevent future blazes.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) is showing members of the public through the aftermath of an electrical fire that “took out” an entire house on Palm Beach Boulevard in Papamoa on July 25.

Adviser community awareness and recovery officer for Fire and Emergency Bay of Plenty, Arron King, said fire open homes had been held in other parts of New Zealand before, but this was the first time it could be done in the Bay of Plenty.

The service had wanted to host one before but a house that had a sound structure and approval from the insurance company had not been available until now.

One showing was today, with another on Saturday, September 7 from 10am -3pm.

King said, “This is a rare chance to walk through a fire-damaged home and learn how quickly fire can spread.”

A visitor looks into the garage of a home that was burnt-out by an electrical fire. Photo / Supplied

“Smells revolting,” one visitor said.

The home was destroyed by smoke after an electrical event razed the house in minutes.

Although the fire didn’t spread further than the garage, smoke and combustion damaged the rest.

Visitors were required to wear masks and gloves to enter the property which still had steam and carbon residue from the July event that destroyed it.

Much of the damage was caused by smoke, which “still gets very hot”, said Fenz Bay of Plenty Senior Fire Officer Chris Russell.

“So the smoke is still hot and it can cause damage, it’s really black, you can’t see.”

Temperatures reached 900C and steam and residue were still present from the original event.

Russell said an 18-year-old boy discovered the fire.

“He came out, he heard something in [the garage], went in there saw a small fire, ran away to get an extinguisher, came back and realised the fire was too big and he got out and called the fire brigade,” Russell said.

Charlene Irving, pictured with her daughter, lives off Palm Beach Boulevard and saw the fire on the day. Photo / Aleyna Martinez

A safety message with an impact

Charlene Irving, who owns a home near Palm Beach Boulevard, said the open home had a big impact.

“We’ve only got one smoke alarm in our whole house so we’re going to have to get a few extra,” she said.

As a homeowner herself, she said it was “scary”.

“Especially not knowing what caused it - I mean they know it’s an electrical fault, but still.

“You just think it could happen to anyone and get out of control.”

Irving said she had a 16-year-old son so empathised with the family.

“How scary for him as well ... that could very well be something that happened in our house.

“I go and turn off all the plugs and everything at home but you can never be too careful,” Irving said.

One tip she picked up was sleeping with doors closed at night.

Fenz advised the group that fires could be contained and damage could be reduced if doors were shut.

The aftermath of the electrical fire at the home at Palm Beach Boulevard, Pāpāmoa on July 25. Photo / Aleyna Martinez

Fenz also wanted the public to know it offered free home fire safety checks.

King said Fenz could tell people to get smoke alarms but the real impact came when people saw the result of a house fire.

“It’s very easy for us to say on the TV ads get a smoke alarm, but until you come in here, touch it, feel it, and see it in the flesh - it means a lot more doesn’t it?”

Within the first hour of the fire site opening, about 100 people were estimated to have come through the open home.

““It’s great to see the message get out there,” King said.

To inquire about a free home fire safety visit or for advice, people can call 0800 693 473.

Aleyna Martinez is a multimedia journalist based in the Bay of Plenty. She moved to the region in 2024 and has previously reported in Wairarapa and at Pacific Media Network.