Pōkeno house fire: Devastating blaze inspires homeowner to help others

For the first time in his life, Kamaldeep Sharma now understands what it feels like to be homeless.

The Pōkeno resident was left without a home when a fire ripped through his backyard and onto the deck; before it engulfed his entire house on Sunday afternoon.

He was left distraught, he said. But it would be ordinary members of the public, close friends and the local Pōkeno community especially that would lift his spirits again.

"I finally slept last night," he told the Herald.

"I'm very moved by the kindness shown to us and by the people who are contacting me.

"Now I realise how the homeless feel."

Sharma and his 13-year-old daughter Ilina were at home when they spotted a fire in the backyard shortly after 2.30pm.

Sharma had earlier been mowing the lawn and cutting bush at the back of the property.

A fire engulfs a house in Pōkeno, Waikato, on Sunday afternoon. Photo / Andrew Deans

He realised the lawnmower - which sometimes tended to become overheated - had possibly caused a spark and lit the dry grass and leaves nearby.

After an attempt to douse the flames with the garden hose, Sharma and his daughter and their neighbours could only look on as the ferocious flames took over the entire building.

Two days later, Sharma is staying at a friend's place for the moment while his daughter is staying at her mother's house.

They had received offers of help of all sorts - including food, groceries and financial aid through a Givealittle page set up for them.

The way strangers had rallied to help and support him during this time had resulted in an inspiration to do better for others.

"They don't know me - they just know my story," he said.

"Throughout my life, everything has been going well. Once I'm back standing up again, I want to do that for others. I want to do something for homeless people."

Sharma said he had lived in the property for about four years after saving enough up to buy the piece of land and house in cash.

Despite having every kind of insurance there is to have - including premium life, health, car and contents insurance - he had yet to secure insurance on his home.

It is a mistake that has proven to be hugely costly, he says, and one hard lesson he has learnt.

"Sometimes you see the insurance (payments) going out and I think: 'I don't know why I keep paying for this'.

"I just kept delaying getting home insurance because sometimes things happen and even though you have insurance, they still don't cover it."

A house was destroyed by fire in Pōkeno on Sunday afternoon. Photo / Supplied

The fire destroyed a home in Pōkeno on Sunday. Photo / Supplied

Sharma says he is now looking at his options - which includes the possibility of selling his piece of land in the process to build a smaller house.

A timely reminder about fire safety

Fire and Emergency NZ said the blaze was another timely reminder about how a fire can spread quickly.

It was vital that people were prepared and had a plan in place if a fire broke out at home.

Area manager Geoff Purcell said: "This fire shows that fire can get very real - fast. It can take just three minutes for a fire to become deadly."

He said it was lucky that in this instance, the people inside the house were able to get out to safety quickly.

"You can't always predict an accidental fire - but you can be prepared in case one does happen," he said.

Purcell urged people to check that smoke alarms were working and that their household had an escape plan.