Siblings recovering after house fire

David West dragged his brother John from their burning home. Photo / Herald on Sunday

A devoted brother has told how he dragged his disabled sibling from their burning home, seconds before the roof collapsed.

David and John West were yesterday recovering at Middlemore Hospital from smoke inhalation and minor burns sustained in Friday's blaze on Waiheke Island.

John, 77, has suffered from cerebral palsy since he was a child and can't walk.

From his bed, slight-framed David, 70, said he acted on instinct to find the man he described as "all heart" and pull him out alive.

"[Our relationship] is pretty strong - he's the closest thing to me. I could hear him but I couldn't see him. He was grunting and groaning."

When David eventually reached his brother, he was unable to lift him.

"He's too heavy, I had to drag him. He couldn't talk, he just groaned."

The blaze began at lunchtime. David left a pot on the stove when he went outside to turn off the lights in the shed and returned to find it in flames.

"I must have had the element on too high."

He rushed to the shed for a fire extinguisher, but couldn't find it.

"I got back to the kitchen and the flames were hitting the ceiling and the window blew out. The flames were all around me. I was shit-scared."

David, who has been fulltime carer for his brother for 18 years, pulled him to safety as the roof fell in. Firefighters arrived as the brothers got outside and battled the blaze for 45 minutes.

The house was insured but the contents were not.

David said they have no way of replacing what was lost in the fire and no family to stay with when they get out of hospital.

"I try not to think about it but I know I'll have to sooner or later," said David.

The house had no smoke alarms.