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Monday, Jan 27, 2014
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Lucky escape from fire BY SUSAN SANDYS
SUSAN.S@THEGUARDIAN.CO.NZ
A young child playing with a lighter is believed to have started a house fire which family members were lucky to escape from around midday yesterday. Ashburton Volunteer Fire Brigade chief Alan Burgess said the fire began in the upstairs portion of a rear section Turton Street home. Four bedrooms located in the upper storey, above a ground floor garage, were destroyed, while some of the items in a ground floor lounge area adjoining the garage were damaged as the fire impacted on that area as well. “It’s really taken hold very, very quickly, the occupants when notified of it had very little time. It drives home the fact of the speed of some of these fires, by the time they got everybody out and looked back to the bedroom area from outside the place was just fully involved,” Mr Burgess said. “Enough people around managed to alert everyone and get them out, it had potential I guess to be quite a disaster.” A preschooler playing with a lighter in one of the upstairs’ bedrooms was the likely cause. The house was occupied by a large extended family. Multiple 111 calls had been
received by the fire communications centre as flames and bellowing smoke could be seen across Ashburton. Dozens of spectators gathered at the scene, but also on streets for several blocks surrounding the fire. One passing motorist, who wanted to be known only as Karen, said she saw smoke rising from the house as she drove on nearby Middle Road. She rushed to the chaotic scene. “These people were coming out, trying to figure out who was out, the intensity of that fire was amazing.” She helped the family move two cars from the driveway near the burning house, but there was not enough time to remove a third car. “I feel relieved that the people are out, houses can be replaced but people can’t,” she said. She understood everyone including one dog safely escaped, but a second dog remained in a back shed. However, the Guardian later learned the dog had run off and the family were looking for it. Another motorist who stopped to help said he noticed a plume of smoke, and then and 30 seconds later it turned to a “fireball”.
A Turton Street home erupts in flames as fire takes hold in one of its bedrooms yesterday. PHOTO SUPPLIED LEFT: Ashburton Volunteer Fire Brigade members douse flames in the upper storey of an Ashburton home yesterday. PHOTO TETSURO MITOMO 260114-TM-079
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