Dannevirke community rallies

A functioning fire alarm saved the occupants but not this house in Albert Street which was gutted by fire Saturday morning

By Gianina Schwanecke and Dave Murdoch

The Dannevirke community has rallied around an Albert St family who lost everything in a devastating house fire over the long weekend. While donations of household goods and clothes have come flooding in, finding a new house will be challenging, say friends of the family.

Emergency services were called to the Dannevirke house fire at 12.58am on Saturday where they found a fire in the kitchen. The four occupants of the house, a mother and her three sons, were alerted to the blaze by the fire alarm and evacuated the house.

While no one was injured, two of her sons were transported to Palmerston North Hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation and discharged on Monday.

Neighbour Joanne Saunders has lived on the street, and known the family involved, for more than 20 years. She was preparing for bed on Saturday when she heard yelling and noticed an orange glow from next door. "I thought, 'Something is not right'. The whole house was just orange." It was when she heard the booming and smelled the smoke she realised what was happening. "I can't get over how quickly it went up. I'm just so pleased they all got out." Saunders said the woman and her three children were "bloody lucky". "It just makes you think."

Family friend Rebecca Madden said it was "devastating" news for her friend, who had grown up in that house. "There's a lot of memories. It's their lifetime." Madden appealed to the public for help and spent most of her long weekend sorting through the many donated items in her home at 39 Christian St, Dannevirke.

She said in the first 24 hours more than 30 people had dropped off everything ranging from fresh clothes to an entire lounge suite, a double bed and a fridge. "These kids have nothing, just what they were wearing on the night of the fire.

"Lots of people have donated shoes and clothes for them." The number of people coming over was amazing and representative of the community spirit in smaller towns," Madden said.

"The community just pulls together when things like this happen. Everybody is doing their little bit to try and help them. "All the love and aroha that people are sending helps."

She said they were still after "kitchen things" like pots and pans, bedding and coats for the kids which would help the family when they are ready to settle into new accommodation. Finding a new home was proving to be the biggest challenge but temporary accommodation may be in hand although Madden also appealed to anyone who might be able to help to get in touch.

Her contact number is 027 374 2768 and a Givealittle page has been set up.

Police said the fire was not being treated as suspicious.