HOREKE - A volunteer fire chief in the Far North is urging the Government to push ahead with its plans for regional economic development after a drunken attack on his firefighters this week.
Joe Carr, a farmer, said action was needed to provide employment.
Maori in the area had no jobs and low self-esteem, he said. Some were being destroyed by alcohol.
"Up here we see the Government's initiative for the regions as fundamental and we just hope they put their money where their mouth is."
Mr Carr's volunteer firefighters were hassled and abused when they attended a house fire at Horeke, a tiny township with not much more than a tavern and a shop on the upper Hokianga Harbour, at 2.30 am on Wednesday.
They arrived at the house five minutes after the Fire Service received a 111 call.
One of the three firefighters was knocked to the ground and they all had to back off and let the house burn. It was destroyed.
"We were told, 'If my children are in that house, there will be a row of dead firemen on the ground.'
"The threat was made by a man out of his mind with drink, who apparently thought he had made arrangements to leave his children in the house.
"If he had done so there would have been five kids in there. We were worried about that for a while."
But the children were elsewhere and there was just one man in the house.
Mr Carr said that, unknown to the firemen, a local man, Pat Pomare, had gone into the burning building, picked up the sleeping occupant, Hone Mane, smashed a window with his hands and dragged the man to safety.
"We found them in a field nearby a bit later. They were suffering from smoke inhalation and Mr Pomare had some bad cuts." The men were treated in hospital.
"Mr Pomare is a real hero, braving intense heat to get that other guy out," Mr Carr said.
"Mr Mane would be dead if Mr Pomare had not gone in."
He said the ugly scenes at the fire were caused by binge drinking by a group of about 20 people.
"They were celebrating something or other.
"It was just a couple of guys who caused real trouble for us, but drinking up here is an awful problem.
"When another appliance arrived from Okaihau, these two guys beat on the engine door heavily enough to dent it. The firemen did not get out."
Police were called but there were no arrests.
Mr Carr said: "The police handled the situation well and quietened things down."
- NZPA
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