A Central Hawke's Bay family's home will be opened to the public today as a Fire Service opportunity to raise people's awareness about what to do in the moments it can take for fire to destroy everything they've got.
Despite the trauma of losing his State Highway 50 home south of Tikokino four weeks ago, Kevin Baker had no hesitation agreeing to make its gutted remains available for the cause.
"We said, Yeah, go for it," said Mr Baker, who with partner Sue and their children had lived in the house for 3-4 years before the late Sunday afternoon September 29 fire.
He's even had demolition delayed a few days, although that's not a biggie in the context of a plan which could see them waiting another 18 month until the replacement home is completed.
Even with the experience of fighting rural fires, and having not long decided to join the Onga Onga Fire Brigade, he was stunned by the speed with which the fire took hold, starting while the family was outside with a young goat.