Neighbours to the rescue after Whangārei property starts billowing smoke

A neighbour with an already-injured hand clambered up a tall wooden fence (seen at centre of image) to warn people next door that their house was on fire. Photo / Sarah Curtis

Two teenagers were in a Whangārei house yesterday – one of them asleep – when neighbours saw black smoke billowing from the property and warned them to get out, a fire investigator says.

A dog that was trapped upstairs in the two-storey house in Warwick Place, Raumanga, wasn’t able to escape and died of smoke inhalation, Northland Fire District inspector Greg Hartwell said.

He and other fire investigators headed back to the scene today to try to determine the cause of the fire. An important aspect of their investigation would be to examine the state of any smoke alarms.

He couldn’t stress enough the importance of working smoke alarms in homes. It was lucky nowadays to have attentive neighbours at home during the day.

This morning, one of the neighbours involved in the initial response said she was feeling “numb” after what was “a very scary and sad day”.

She first noticed the smoke at about 1.30pm on Tuesday, when fortunately she was home.

“I just bolted over there as I knew there were two children there,” she said.

She also knew there were three dogs inside.

She leapt up a fence and yelled towards the house, which she said was “chocker with smoke”.

The two teens were already outside.

The woman ran to a downstairs ranch slider where she freed two dogs.

Then she and other neighbours hurled rocks at an upstairs window to smash it hoping it might save the dog that died up there.

An animal lover, the neighbour said she couldn’t help but feel “a little bit of guilt” today about that dog, even though they’d tried their best to help it.

Fire crews in the process of packing up their equipment after extinguishing a large house fire in Warwick Place, Raumanga. Photo / Sarah Curtis

The woman said that after the fire she had a nagging cough. It made her realise the health risks firefighters must routinely face.

Hartwell commended the three fire crews who attended the blaze on their quick response – they were at the property within six minutes of being called – and their “great effort” bringing the 10m x 12m blaze under control “within about five minutes”.

He said flames were mostly confined to the bottom level of the house. The mid-level, where the teenage girl was sleeping, and the top level, where the dog died, were smoke-logged.

Sarah Curtis is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on a wide range of issues. She has nearly 20 years’ experience in journalism, much of which she spent court reporting. She is passionate about covering stories that make a difference