Rotorua house fire: Mum burns hair trying to save valuables but family loses ‘everything’

A woman’s hair caught fire as she desperately tried to usher family members out and grab valuables as their home burned, her husband says.

But Jawad Ahmed said his wife could not save the jewellery, important documentation, passports, and cash for an upcoming trip as the fire ripped through the rented Gibson St unit.

The Rotorua family of four lost their possessions in the fire, but escaped with their lives.

Tehreem Jawad had minor burns to her hair on the right side and temporary vision issues from smoke exposure. She was treated at the scene by emergency services for around 90 minutes.

Ahmed said he spent the first two days after the fire thinking about watching his home burn in front of him.

The family had no contents insurance.

“Everything is gone,” he said.

Ahmed said his wife, 7-year-old son Uzair Ahmed, 11-year-old daughter Alina Jawad, and his visiting mother-in-law were inside the house at the time the fire started about 4.30pm.

Damage to a Rotorua home on Gibson St after a house fire last week is extensive.

Ahmed’s daughter raised the alarm after she smelt smoke and rushed to tell her mother.

His wife then noticed smoke coming from the sides of the bedroom door.

“She opened the door and the room was on fire.”

“While she was trying to get the stuff the heat and fire burnt her hair. She was yelling, ‘no, no, no!’ Telling everyone to get out.

“My wife ran straight out of the house. She called 111 and took her car keys which always hung by the door.”

The Ahmed family lost 'everything' when their rented home caught fire on Thursday.

Ahmed, a business analyst was at work when the fire started. His wife phoned him at 4.42 pm.

“She was crying and screaming,” he said.

“[She said] everyone was okay. ‘We’re out. The house is in flames. We couldn’t save anything else’.”

Ahmed had cycled to work that morning so a colleague drove him home.

“My legs and arms were shaking,” he said.

Witnesses have told the Rotorua Daily Post neighbours used garden hoses to try to stop the fire, which put out a huge cloud of smoke, from spreading to the adjoining unit before firefighters arrived and brought it under control.

Fire and Emergency NZ said its first crew arrived at 4.50pm, about seven minutes after the first report, but the unit was already “well involved” in flames.

A fire investigator has identified a heater in the master bedroom as the suspected cause of the fire.

The fire did not reach the lounge but Ahmed said appliances such as the fridge, microwave, and television had been damaged by smoke and water.

Damage to the family's kitchen.

A GiveALittle page set up by a colleague to help the family recover from the devastating fire has raised more than $3700 so far.

Ahmed said he was thankful to all the donors so far for their “love and support”.

“I want to thank Rotorua Islamic Association, [they have] really stood by me.”

He called members of the association “superstars” for their generosity in helping the family collect salvageable items from the home. Temporary storage had been given to the family by the association.

On Tuesday morning, the family was offered a new rental home by a colleague. The family was working on agreeing on a move-in date and Ahmed hoped it would be soon.

Items such as the couch had been salvaged from the home but were wet and smoke damaged. Ahmed said hoped he would be able to clean and reuse some items in his new home.

The ceiling in the hallway has gone, exposing the framing.

The family’s clothing and personal belongings were also smoke damaged. Ahmed said he was concerned about “toxic elements” in the children’s clothing from the fire. The family had been to Kmart to buy essentials such as pyjamas.

The family is taking it “day by day” and living in an Airbnb until they hear further about their new rental property.

Ahmed said his son was scared to sleep because he was afraid he would wake up to the fire alarm going off.

The father said what mattered most was that his family was safe.

Asked how he was coping, however, he said it was a “very difficult question”.

“I think I’m okay, but maybe I’m not okay.”

Michaela Pointon is an NZME reporter based in the Bay of Plenty and was formerly a feature writer.

The scene inside the home after the fire ripped through it.

The family lost all their possessions in the fire. Photo / Andrew Warner