It was a case of all the stars aligning for a Hastings family after realising their home was on fire on Wednesday, says the senior firefighter at the scene.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand senior station officer Mike Peachey says the activation of the two-storey, mainly wooden home’s smoke alarms and the immediate decision to get-out enabled the family to escape without harm, as fire gutted the upper floor.
With the alarms sounding and smoke billowing from the Maraekakaho Rd house, between Raureka and Camberley, and multiple emergency calls from residents and passers-by, two crews of firefighters were also quickly on the scene, from their station less than a kilometre away and also in Maraekakaho Rd.
Peachey said the fire was quickly “knocked back”, with a crew entering the fire-fight up the staircase to tackle the blaze from within.
He said the upstairs portion – a possibly 1970s addition to house believed to have been built before World War II - was gutted, but there was no fire damage downstairs.
“Fortunately the smoke alarms activated, and the multiple calls enabled a quick response, and did make all the difference,” he said.
On Wednesday, occupant Vicky Vaavai said nine people lived in the rented house, including four young children.
The 19-year-old disappeared without her wallet or mobile phone.