A house on the corner of State Highway 2 and Piripiri Rd near Dannevirke was nearly completely consumed by fire on Wednesday night. Photo / Trevor Moore
A house on the corner of State Highway 2 and Piripiri Rd near Dannevirke was nearly completely consumed by fire on Wednesday night. Photo / Trevor Moore
Dramatic photos of a fire ripping through an occupied home near Dannevirke show the importance of quick decisive action when the time comes to flee, a firefighter says.
Firefighters from Dannevirke and Norsewood brought three trucks, two water tankers and a support crew to take on a serious house fire on the corner of State Highway 2 and Piripiri Rd near Dannevirke about 6.20pm on Wednesday.
Photos from the scene sent to Hawke’s Bay Today show the ferocity of the flames before firefighters were able to bring them under control.
Dannevirke chief fire officer Pete Sinclair said it was important to get out and stay out when you see a fire, which the occupants in this case had done by the time firefighters arrived.
“If you see a fire, get out and stay out. Don’t attempt to go inside and get any items,” Sinclair said.
He said the fire appeared to have started somewhere in the back part of the house, which was “totally gutted”.
“The front two rooms weren’t touched by fire because they had the doors closed, but they did sustain a lot of smoke damage and a bit of water damage as well,” Sinclair said.
He said all occupants were safely out of the house when firefighters arrived.
He said the fire was under control in about 45 minutes, but firefighters were at the scene for about three hours and 15 minutes to put out hot spots and get into ceiling cavities.
A specialist investigator was due to make contact with the occupants of the property on Thursday morning to get permission to enter the property and investigate the cause of the fire.
Sinclair said he had not had an update on the status of the investigation as of Friday afternoon.
Firefighters from Dannevirke and Norsewood brought three trucks, two water tankers and a support crew to take on the serious house fire on Wednesday. Photo / Trevor Moore
Firefighters from Nūhaka and Wairoa volunteer brigades responded with two trucks and two tankers to a fire on Omana Rd about 10.05pm on Wednesday.
Nuhaka chief fire officer Denal Meihana said an old milking shed used as a storage shed was completely burned to the ground, with no one inside.
“We had to strip it right back down to get the embers out, so there wasn’t very much left when we were finished.”
He estimated it took between two and a half to three hours to completely put out the fire.
He said the fire had been deemed suspicious at this stage.
“There was no ignition source for where the fire had started. That is why it has been put down as undetermined and possibly suspicious, because there was nothing there that could have possibly caused it to ignite.”
He said a fire investigator would not be called in, but the incident would be referred to police.
Dannevirke chief fire officer Pete Sinclair said the house fire appeared to have started somewhere in the back part of the house, which was “totally gutted”. All occupants were out safely when firefighters arrived. Photo / Trevor Moore
Both incidents came shortly after significant house fires in Waipukurau and Napier this week.
A fire at a house on Maltby St in Meeanee with a ‘sold’ sign on the fence was quickly contained by firefighters on Wednesday morning, but not before the building was badly burned.
A man in his 30s injured after a fire at a flat on Gaisford Terrace in Waipukurau on Tuesday was released from Hawke’s Bay Hospital on Wednesday morning.
James Pocock joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2021 and writes breaking news and features, with a focus on environment, local government and post-cyclone issues in the region. He has a keen interest in finding the bigger picture in research and making it more accessible to audiences. He lives in Napier. james.pocock@nzme.co.nz.
