Dannevirke restaurant The Barrelhouse on fire, plumber saves it

Brent Howell's quick actions saved the restaurant from burning down.

A Dannevirke plumber saved a popular restaurant from burning to the ground this morning. Brent Howell was driving into town about 9am to check on a job being carried out by one of this staff when he saw smoke as he drove past the BP petrol station on the town's main street.

"I shot past KFC and into the alleyway beside the library and into the carpark. I could see smoke pouring out of the roof of The Barrelhouse so I told my worker, Daniel Bell, to ring the fire brigade and I whipped around into Ward St, driving the wrong way down the street.

"The security guard outside the Westpac Bank next door must have thought I was going to rob the place."

Howell said he pulled up outside The Barrelhouse and started bashing on the door of the bottlestore, hoping owner Rod Greenwood was inside.

"I didn't get any response so jumped over the spiked fence between the bank and the restaurant - that slowed me down a bit - I was very careful. Rod then just happened to come through the door.

"I yelled at him that his building was on fire. I was able to get inside, grab a ladder and have a look at how bad the fire was."

As he went to look for a fire extinguisher staff from the bank handed Howell their one and he put out the fire.

"As part of our job plumbers learn basic firefighting, and it is very basic, and we do a refresher course every two years. We are taught to hit the base of the fire not the flames."

The fire had burned through the ceiling and part of it had fallen in which made the task of getting to the fire easier.

The fire brigade arrived and took over, dampening down the area. Two firefighters in breathing apparatus went up into the roof to dampen down hotspots.

Fire chief Peter Sinclair said Howell's actions definitely saved the building from being destroyed.

"It was a really good save."

He said it was suspected an electrical fault caused the fire which started in the kitchen ceiling.

Greenwood and his partner Diane Champion bought the restaurant in November and have been slowly making changes.

He said he didn't hear Howell banging on the door because he wasn't wearing his hearing aids.

While Greenwood admitted to feeling shattered after the fire he said he would keep moving on.

He had cancelled the lunch bookings but was hoping to reopen for dinner tonight.

In the meantime an electrician was working on the wiring and builders would be called in to repair the ceiling and charred joists.

But for Greenwood this is another setback. He is on light duties after a fall left him with an injured shoulder, deep bruising and four broken ribs.

He apologised to Howell for not being able to help put out the fire, but his injuries prevented that.

For Howell he was just happy to be in the right place at the right time.

"If this had happened at two or three in the morning it could have been disastrous for the town, especially because of the water crisis."