Safety briefing at burnt-out Kaikohe house draws big crowd

Fire officer Chris Foley shows a family through the charred remains of a Kaikohe home. Photo/Debbie Beadle

Up to 80 people turned out for an ''open home'' at the scene of a Kaikohe house fire aimed at showing people how fast flames can spread — and what they can do to protect themselves.

The fire started on the morning of November 16 when a child playing with a lighter or a sparkler dropped it on to a foam mattress. Her mother smelt smoke straight away and rushed the girl and her baby brother out of the house, then tried to push the burning mattress out the window.

By then, however, the wall was already on fire and it was too late. The entire house was engulfed within minutes.

The family's puppy died and they lost all their possessions.

In the hope of saving other families from similar misfortune, Fire and Emergency NZ staff and volunteers from the Kaikohe Fire Brigade opened the Monument Rd home up to the public on Saturday morning.

A path was cleared through the rubble but otherwise the house was left as it after the blaze.

Fire safety officer Gary Beer said he was delighted with the turnout of up to 80 people.

''For a little town that's awesome. A lot of families came through and they all took it on board, but the standout for us was the kids. It didn't mean much to them until we showed them the big-screen TV was ruined and they realised there'd be no more Xbox games.''

The open home was a valuable chance to spread key fire safety messages such as never underestimating the speed of fire, the importance of having an escape plan and knowing how to get out, and the need to have at least one working smoke alarm for early warning.
Mr Beer said he hoped it would makes a difference.

During the open day firefighters fielded ''quite a few'' requests for home safety visits, which would allow them to deliver education in people's homes and make sure they had working smoke alarms.

Fellow fire safety officer Roy Brickell and Kaikohe volunteers also made a video about the fire which had been viewed more than 2000 times on social media.