Great save made by Kaitaia firefighters

GREAT SAVE: Fire investigator Terry Baylis (left) and Kaitaia's deputy Chief Fire Officer Craig Rogers surveying the exterior damage done by yesterday morning's fire.

The Kaitaia Fire Brigade responded to a fire at the Kaitaia Union Church in record time yesterday morning, in time to prevent a potentially major blaze.

The fire had clearly been lit in the small porch leading to the op shop off Te Reinga Street, the flames charring the timber and melting plastic spouting, and getting into the shop itself.

By the time the first appliance arrived an interior wall was burning, but op shop secretary Dave McGregor said the majority of damage to stock, mainly clothing, had been done by smoke.

Mr McGregor, his wife (church secretary) and others could not begin cleaning up until fire investigator Terry Baylis had completed his examination, but Mr Baylis had no doubt that the fire had been deliberately lit. And it could have been calamitous.

Erected in 1924, the timber was very dry, probably heart kauri, without insulation.

"If the flames had got into the wall cavities it would have been party time. And if it had got into the ceiling cavity it would have been rampant, a very fast-developing fire," he said.

"If they didn't have a monitored alarm system the whole place could have gone up."

The alarm was raised shortly after 5.30am, the first appliance leaving the station, less than 200 metres away, within about three minutes, one of the crew saying that he and others had been at a nearby gym, so did not take as long to get to the station as they might normally at that hour.