Smouldering ashes blamed for fire that gutted $1m home

The Paritai Drive house was ablaze by the time firefighters arrived. Picture / Glenn Jeffrey

Residents of Auckland's Paritai Drive battled with hoses and buckets of water against a fire which destroyed a $1 million home and killed two dogs yesterday.

The blaze, which gutted the three-storey 1990s house in one of the city's most exclusive streets, started in the morning while no one was home.

It burned quickly and images of the inferno were captured by several local residents who were woken by the sound of smashing glass.

The house, which is likely to be pulled down, is owned by Auckland businessman Brent King, the founder of the Dorchester Group of companies and director of the new investment company Viking Capital.

Mr King bought the house in 2002 for just over $720,000 but it was believed to be worth about $1 million.

It was on the market, and a sale is understood to have gone unconditional on Friday.

It is understood that the home's new owners will now have the option of withdrawing from the sale because of the blaze.

One neighbour, who wanted to be known only as Jenny, said she and her husband woke to the sound of their dog barking at the fire.

"As soon as my husband opened his eyes and looked out the window he saw the sky was bright and glowing red.

"Their deck is right next to our deck. It was all on fire, so we panicked because we thought our house would catch fire any minute."

Jenny's husband grabbed a hose and started dousing the fence, trees and both homes.

"All the smoke was coming out. I was worried the windows might explode in his face," Jenny said. "The fire was coming out the windows and the deck was red."

Jenny, who is several months pregnant, helped her husband keep the fire at bay, using buckets of water to dampen the deck.

By the time firefighters arrived the house was fully ablaze.

Little could be done to salvage the contents or a 1995 Mercedes Benz E200 saloon parked in the garage. Two dogs sleeping inside perished.

Fire safety officers believe the blaze started on a deck where ashes from the fireplace had been discarded several hours earlier.

Deputy chief fire safety officer Jonathan Shelley said the occupants of the house had cleaned out the fireplace before departing on Monday night.

The ashes were put into a cardboard box and left on the deck, where they smouldered for several hours before igniting.

Mr Shelley said incorrect disposal of ashes was a common cause of fires in winter.

Mr King is also a director of 42 Below, Charlie's Group and Finzsoft and is chairman of the Auckland Cricket Association.

He did not want to comment when the Herald spoke to him yesterday afternoon.


CLEANING YOUR FIREPLACE

* Incorrect disposal of ashes is a common cause of winter house fires.

* Ashes may look cold but can remain hot for up to 48 hours after they are "out".

* Left in a cardboard box or plastic bag, they can smoulder for several hours before igniting.

* Ashes should be placed in a metal container, outside and away from buildings, and preferably doused by water.

* Never vacuum up ashes as they can smoulder inside the vacuum cleaner.

* Working smoke alarms give sleeping residents early warning of a fire and time to get out of a burning building safety.