"I found a woman trying to save her cats. Her bedroom was on fire and there was a layer of smoke that was rapidly filling up the house.
"She told me she had a fire extinguisher, so I grabbed it and gave it a crack. Thankfully it did the job. Then the neighbours helped with their garden hoses."
Shaw says Urban's swift response saved his house - and his life.
"Karl was banging on the door like crazy, saying 'Fire!'
"We were entertaining friends and didn't realise a fire had started in the bedroom. The fire investigators later said it was the result of a faulty extension lead.
"There was no smell, no sound. We couldn't hear the smoke alarm going off because the door was closed.
"Karl came first. Then the neighbours came over, and some guys from Chorus working on lines at the end of the street pitched in to help too. They used three fire extinguishers and garden hoses. It was all out before the fire engines even came."
The fire left no structural damage to the house but the mess, Shaw says, is disastrous.
"The extension lead was only two years old. I can't believe it would cause a fire so destructive. I'm just relieved Karl raised the alarm and we were home. We won't have such a nice Christmas in the house now, but there's other things to be grateful for."
He says Urban returned the next day to make sure his neighbours were all right.
"He's a great guy. He came over on Tuesday to make sure Claire and I were okay. He's our hero."
Urban is reluctant to carry the tag.
"I'm not in the habit of running into burning buildings, I'd rather leave that to the professionals. But it seemed to me that I had a small window of opportunity to do something - anybody else would've done the same."
Shaw says he's more aware of the danger of cables and extension leads.
Urban told The Diary the experience has made him more aware of fire safety, too.
"I've never really thought about the dangers of a house fire, but coming face to face with one has prompted me to make sure that my fire alarms are working and I've bought a bunch of fire extinguishers. The fact that they had one definitely saved their house."
From host to artist
Her eponymous TV2 show has made her famous with the kids, now Erin Simpson is turning her hand to art. The dairy farmer's daughter, who hails from Te Kauwhata, is exhibiting her drawings at ArtsPost Gallery in Hamilton. She counts Dick Frizzell as an inspiration.
Friend's experience inspires CD for hospice
It was his friendship with the late broadcaster Phillip Leishman that inspired singer Tim Beveridge to release a Christmas album in support of hospices throughout New Zealand.
The album is now on sale through Farmers stores nationwide with the bulk of the proceeds - $10 from every $15 CD sale - going to hospices.
"My initial connection with hospice came through Phil, who was a good friend of mine," Beveridge says. "My mum was also looked after through some serious surgery at Dove Hospice, and she is doing well now."
Beveridge will hit the stage, too, for a special Christmas concert with pals Dame Malvina Major and Simon O'Neill at Parnell's Holy Trinity Cathedral on December 16, supporting Dove Hospice and Mercy Hospice. Tickets are $30-$50.
"Simon and I are old mates. Now he's an A-list opera star performing roles all over the world, from the Metropolitan Opera in New York to Paris, Milan and Vienna. But deep down he's still Simon from Ashburton."
Dame Malvina has a personal connection too, after her friend and music teacher, Dame Sister Mary Leo, was cared for by Mercy Hospice.
Race for home
They're competitive in their own field of expertise, but in the race to come home to Auckland this week, prize fighter Joseph Parker, champion shot-putter Val Adams and the All Blacks were in a fight to the finish.
They all flew out of Los Angeles on our national carrier and were keen to get home.
"Race yah, lol," Adams tweeted Parker. He had earlier posed with members of the ABs who looked tired from their long Northern Hemisphere tour.
Teammate SBW caught a connecting flight to Sydney to see his newborn daughter and wife.
TV talk
Just asking ...
• Which founding TV3 staffers have not been invited to the big 25th birthday party tonight and are suitably miffed? Mark Jennings is not a fan, so they didn't make the guest list.
• Which high-profile Mr TV has, er, spread the company ink too thinly? His infidelities with co-workers are finally catching up with him and the women, who are now aware of each other, are demanding more than a please-explain.
