Get out and stay out - fire figures reveal risks

Photo / NZ Herald

More than half of the people injured in house fires went back into their burning home to fight the blaze or grab possessions.

In the year to March, 244 people were injured in house fires around the country. Fifty-seven per cent had returned inside either to fight the fire (47 per cent), retrieve possessions (7 per cent) or save someone (3 per cent).

The figures were released to the Herald by the Fire Service's Auckland region senior risk management officer George Stephens in an attempt to encourage people to get out of a burning building, leaving the battle to the firefighters.

In the wider Auckland region, 66 people were injured in fires, with 53 per cent of those having re-entered burning buildings.

People in the Counties Manukau region were the most daring, with 59 per cent of people injured in blazes having re-entered homes compared with 47 per cent in Waitemata and 47 per cent in Auckland City.

Fire Service Auckland region area commander Murray Binning pointed to two recent deaths which were "directly related" to people entering burning buildings and said their message of 'Get Out, Stay Out", used in several promotions did not appear to be getting through.

In November, 61-year-old Ian Walker, husband of district court judge Jane Lovell-Smith, was killed when he entered a garage next to his home in Karaka, south Auckland, to check on a blaze before calling the Fire Service.

Also in November, renowned medical researcher Sir Donald Beaven, 85, died fighting a fire with a garden hose in his bach in Little Akaloa on Banks Peninsula.

"It's about trying to get the message across of what's more important - life or personal effects?" Mr Binning asked.

"There were some tragic incidents last year and we felt complete failure with our messages because these people obviously hadn't heard or didn't listen.

"To re-enter is at great risk to their own personal safety."

Mr Binning said different possessions were important to different people. "It could be a simple family photo.

"I think the big hassle is people do not appreciate how quickly, how rapidly conditions can change ... People rush back inside because the particular room they go back into may not be involved but suddenly, within seconds, conditions can change and catch them."

THOSE HURT

Activity when injured in a house fire. National statistics to March 31:

* Fighting the fire: 114
* Returning to the house (non-rescue attempt): 18
* Escaping: 19
* Rescue attempt: 8
* Clean-up: 1
* Asleep: 32
* Unable to act: 9
* Irrational action: 10
* Injured during non-classified activity: 12
* Unknown: 18
* Not recorded: 3
* TOTAL INJURIES: 244