In Geraldine, in Canterbury, three people were killed when a campervan they were travelling in hit a barrier at the intersection of Te Moana Rd at State Highway 75 before catching fire around 1am. Video / George Heard
Volunteer firefighters who attended the grisly scene where three people lost their lives in a campervan crash and subsequent fire have taken leave from work in the wake of the tragedy.
The small South Island town of Geraldine awoke to tragic news in its backyard yesterday morning, that three people had been killed in a horrific campervan crash overnight.
Remaining damage told the story, tyre streaks led to a broken side barrier on State Highway 79, only a few minutes’ drive from the town centre of Geraldine.
Reports flooded in fast of the campervan having burst into flames as it collided with the barrier at midnight - the occupants of the van were pronounced dead at the scene.
Three people died when a rented campervan crashed into the road barrier at the intersection of State Highway 79 before catching fire. Photo / George Heard
Now, the Herald has learned that some responding firefighters - some award-winning, some decade-long servants, all volunteers - have taken leave from work today as the trauma of the crash hits home.
Geraldine is a small, tight-knit town according to those who live there.
The district consists of 3000 residents and by 10am Monday morning “everybody was talking about it”, according to Gavin Oliver.
Oliver has lived in Geraldine for most of his life, is a district councillor in Timaru and travelled back to his hometown yesterday to inspect the scene of the crash.
The word of the town is multiple firefighters that handled the crash have taken the day off work today to process the tragedy that pulled them from their homes in the early hours of Monday.
“I know one guy working at Fonterra, he took the day off just to get over what happened overnight,” Oliver told the Herald.
“The nature of what happened, I mean, burning bodies - that’s pretty horrific stuff and what can be seen afterwards. But there’s a good network of people keeping an eye out for these guys.”
The Geraldine volunteer fire brigade consists of between 15 and 25 staff, volunteers have come and gone over the years.
Numerous responding firefighters, all volunteers, have taken leave from work today. Photo / George Heard
Of the community’s active staff, a tight-knit core group of ten staff have been serving the region for a long period of time, according to Oliver.
And they’ve learned a thing or two over the years, Oliver said a group of the volunteer crew competed in an Australasian crash-rescue competition a few years back - taking out the title.
A couple of volunteers were presented 25-year stars for their multiple decades of service to the brigade, earlier this year.
Oliver believes some of the veterans would have responded on Monday morning, suggesting the incident was in some of the safest hands possible.
“But some of [the crew there] wouldn’t have been with the brigade for very long,” he said.
“That sort of scene, it takes a lot to get out of bed at one in the morning and get to the incident. So I believe the van was well-ablaze by the time they arrived and by that time, they had a big job to do straight off the bat.”
It’s clear the attempted rescue was traumatic for all involved, Geraldine Volunteer Fire Brigade chief Graeme Mould told the Herald yesterday the responding crew were being offered counselling support.
“It was one of the rough ones,” he said.
Geraldine Volunteer Fire Brigade chief Graeme Mould said responding crew were being offered counselling support. Photo / Rafael Ben-Ari / Chameleons Eye
The town has recognised this and responded, it’s understood welfare packs have been delivered to volunteers dealing with trauma.
“Everybody is here to help them, but it’s horrendous to be fair,” said Oliver.
“It was a shock, everyone was shocked to wake up and learn of that news. It’s just horrific for everyone involved.”
Timaru’s mayor, Nigel Bowen met with residents in Geraldine yesterday and said his concerns were with the three fire crews that responded.
“It’s one of the things I’m always conscious of, as Mayor, with volunteers responding to those situations,” he said.
“The fire department is voluntary so you have people pulled from their day-to-day jobs to respond and witness horrific things, as you can imagine. So good to see they’re getting the proper help they need.”
The Herald understands the occupants of the campervan are believed to be from overseas.
The campervan is owned by Tourism and Travel Ltd based in Canterbury, it had been hired by the group before Monday’s incident.
The owner of the company told the Herald the incident was distressing for staff, who had held a meeting on Monday morning.
He declined to comment about the people that hired the campervan but said it was not a local group.
