Whangārei and Kamo firefighters at the Tikipunga home. Photo / Avneesh Vincent
A young couple with a baby ‘lost everything’ in a late night blaze at their Tikipunga home, a fire investigator says.
The fire broke out at the Paramount Parade property about 10pm on Wednesday, sending a large wall of flames into the air.
Fire investigator Craig Bain said a woman had been cooking in the kitchen when an electrical fault in the room sparked a fire.
“She tried to put it out herself but it got too big so she grabbed the kids and bolted.”
Bain said the mum did everything right.
Police closed the road while firefighters from Kamo and Whangārei spent two and a half hours extinguishing the blaze.
A large plume of smoke could be seen coming from the home.
Bain felt for the couple, who had moved into the home from Hamilton about a year ago and had been in the process of arranging insurance.
“They’ve lost everything,” he said.
The rental property had been completely gutted inside. The outside walls still stood in place but were charred in places and the home’s windows had smashed from the ferocity of the fire.
Even the couple’s cars were “stuffed” as they had been parked in the carport connected to the house.
“They’re a genuine, hardworking young couple,” Bain said. “It’s really sad.”
The fire was one of many keeping Northland’s brigades busy overnight.
Shortly after midnight Kaikohe firefighters were called to a car fire that had partially damaged a nearby house. The Advocate understands police are investigating the circumstances around the blaze.
The Mangawhai and Kaiwaka brigades were responded to two separate callouts around four hours apart.
The first was to a vegetation fire on Bickerstaffe Rd in Maungatūroto - alongside the Maungatūroto, Paparoa, and Whangārei brigades - at 6.21pm. The fire was reportedly started by a 4WD and grew to the size of 100m by 60m.
Maungatūroto station officer Jodie Bennetto said their brigade was the first to arrive. When they got there they saw that flames were burning in the slash and threatening the bush. They immediately called for back-up.
Bennetto said the area was remote and the terrain rugged. Firefighters had needed six lengths of hose to reach the start of the blaze.
By 8.30pm the fire had been contained.
A second vegetation fire in Mangawhai drew the Mangawhai and Kaiwaka brigades back out less than two hours later. Kaiwaka fire chief John Bowmar said that fire turned out to be small.
A separate fire in Maromaku kept the Kawakawa and Towai brigades busy for nearly an hour.
Bowmar warned people about the dry conditions, saying everyone needed to take extra care.
'The contribution they’ve made to ballet in this country ... has been immense.'