Whangārei man escapes burning home as flames leap into the air

Fire scene investigator Craig Bain at the scene of a suspicious house fire in Whangārei's Limeburners St where a man had to jump out of an upstairs window to escape the flames. Photo / Mike Dinsdale

As Whangārei man Don Hedges leapt out of an upstairs window to escape flames burning his home down he was worried about a woman who was also in the home and his dog Bruno - and whether they would survive the flames.

But after Hedges managed to escape the blaze he found that the woman had got out alive and his beloved dog had been able follow him through the window to safety.

Don Hedges, pictured here in happier times, lost his home to a suspicious blaze on Tuesday night. Photo / File

A woman was yesterday assisting police with their inquiries over the suspicious blaze which destroyed the old bungalow that was Hedges' home. A security guard was at the scene yesterday morning and specialist fire scene investigator Craig Bain was trying to establish the cause of the suspicious fire.

Hedges, a well known character in Whangārei, said a woman who had been staying in the downstairs part of the home had been drinking when she came upstairs to his room about 10pm on Tuesday night.

"I was trying to go to sleep when she came up and started banging on my door and kicking it and yelling. Then she went back down the stairs."

He said flames then started leaping up the stairs and he realised he had to escape. He opened the window and leapt out with only the clothes he was wearing.

''Flames were shooting out of the windows and the side of the house, several metres into the air and out of the house from underneath. At first I thought she had been incinerated in the fire, but she managed to get out," Hedges said.

He said he had also been worried that his dog had been unable to get out, but she must have leapt out of the window behind him then fled. She came back a short time later.

"[The house] went up pretty quickly. There must have been quite an accelerant as it just went up so fast. It wasn't a slow thing and the fire was raging. I'm lucky I got out."

Hedges said the fire, which also destroyed a car near the house, was a spectacular sight and firefighters spent about three hours at the scene keeping the flames under control and from spreading to nearby buildings and scrub.

Hedges has another house on the property, but that has been deemed uninhabitable by Whangārei District Council so he was yesterday looking for temporary accommodation for himself and his dog. Yesterday friends also visited dropping off items to help Hedges out.

Police said a woman was arrested on an unrelated matter and late yesterday was helping them with their inquiries in relation to the Limeburners St fire. No charges had yet been laid and investigations were continuing.

On initial inspection, it appeared that the blaze may have started in the downstairs part of the building.