Widow loses all in house fire

An elderly Far North woman has lost everything after her home burned to the ground on Wednesday night.
Fire investigators have been picking over what was left of the large villa at Pokapu, seven kilometres south-east of Moerewa. The house had no electricity, but gas was used for lighting and heating.
Kawakawa Deputy Chief Fire Officer Wayne Martin said his brigade was alerted to the fire at about 11pm but the old villa had already been destroyed by the time they got to the property off Pokapu Rd.
Firefighters from Kawakawa and Kaikohe spent five hours putting the fire out. "We contained it from spreading to adjoining caravans and cars," he said. "It was huge. They've lost the lot."
The house was at the end of a long driveway and there had been difficulty locating a water supply.
The alarm was raised by a boarder who had been sleeping in a caravan on the property. The owner had been visiting friends down the road at the time.
Far North fire safety officer Lindsay Murray said the cause of the fire had not yet been identified.
"It's very difficult. There are no studs standing. There's no floors, no walls left - it's just totalled."
Gas experts would also be called to investigate the cause of the fire.
Mr Murray understood the house was not insured. "She lost her husband recently and now she has lost everything she owns. She's pretty devastated. She's probably looking at it now in the cold light of day and it doesn't look very good."