KEY POINTS:
Five-year-old Jacob Colcord should have been at school today participating in a firewise programme which teaches children about the dangers of playing with matches and the importance of smoke alarms.
Instead, his family are planning a funeral following a house fire which claimed Jacob's life and left his 3-year-old brother with burns to 20 per cent of his body. While the fire investigation is yet to be completed, it appears the boys were playing with matches in the bedroom of their Whangarei home when the fire broke out at about 8.45am on Friday.
There were four smoke alarms in the home but none had working batteries.
The boy's stepfather Carlos and a flatmate Eli kicked their way into the children's bedroom after being told by a passerby that there was smoke coming out of the eaves of the old home.
They found Jacob first.
A family friend told the Herald it was only by feeling around in the smoke filled room that they also found Alex, lying unconscious on his stomach, and managed to drag the boy from the burning room and on to the lawn.
The friend said the men managed to revive Alex but there was nothing that could be done to save Jacob. Alex remained in Middlemore Hospital last night in a serious condition.
Fire Safety Officer Craig Bain said the remains of a smoke alarm was found in the boy's bedroom but it had no batteries.
As part of the fire investigation batteries were put in three other alarms found throughout the home after the blaze.
They were found to be in working order and could have alerted the family to the fatal fire.
Mr Bain said the importance of having batteries in smoke alarms and teaching children that matches and cigarette lighters were 'tools not toys' were part of the firewise programme which is delivered in schools.
It is understood firefighters were due to visit Jacob's school today as part of the fire safety programme which targets 5 and 6-year-olds.
A funeral for Jacob will be held in Whangarei on Wednesday.
