Inferno almost claimed six lives

BARRY HARCOURT/Southland Times

LUCKY TO BE ALIVE: Marcus Green, left, and William Waring, both of Northern Ireland, leaning on a burnt-out car outside the smouldering rubble of a house destroyed by fire yesterday.

GONE IN JUST A FEW MINUTES: A photograh taken by Winton firefighter Stu Bryant at the height of the blaze yesterday morning.

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Six agricultural contracting workers narrowly escaped a fire that rapidly became an inferno – razing a historic house in Central Southland early yesterday morning.

The men – four from Northumberland in England's northeast and two from Northern Ireland – woke about 3am to find the Riverside Rd house, about 6km from Winton, ablaze.

Two, who were sleeping upstairs, made a dramatic escape, smashing windows and clambering on to a balcony before jumping on to a ground level deck.

One of them, Northumberland man Robert Ryle, said yesterday he woke to a smoke-filled room, screeching smoke detectors and Geoffrey Robson, also from Northumberland, in the next bedroom, yelling "Fire! Fire!"

"I opened the door and this fireball just came up the stairs."

Closing it, he crossed the room to the window and kicked it out before climbing on to the balcony. He then saw Mr Robson's hand come through the glass of his bedroom window.

Jumping on to the deck, he turned to find Mr Robson had not followed him. "It was like he was in shock ... I had to yell like mad at him to jump."

Meanwhile, the other four escaped through the back door, he said. Within minutes of making it out, the house "just disappeared", Mr Robson said.

The men were left with nothing except what they had worn to bed, he said.

Winton chief fire officer Ray Johnstone said firefighters were called at 3.21am and arrived at the fire about 10 minutes later.

"It probably seemed like a long time to those boys."

On arrival, the 114-year-old weatherboard homestead was already levelled by the fire. It was possibly the smoke alarms that had averted tragedy, he said.

Mr Robson was bleeding heavily from cuts to his arm and an ambulance was called, Mr Johnstone said.

Two fire trucks and 12 firefighters from Winton and another two on Dipton's fire tanker concentrated on saving a shed and hedge as there was little they could do to save the house.

The cause of the fire is unknown.

Mr Robson was scheduled to undergo surgery on his arm at Southland Hospital yesterday afternoon.

The men have been employed as tractor drivers by agricultural contractor Ben Walling, of Walling Contracting, since last month.

Mr Walling's partner Sarah Flintoft said the company and wider community had rallied to provide the men with support, including clothing and accommodation.

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Jackie Wilson   #1   12:37 am Nov 21 2009

As the mother of one of the Northumberland lads (Geoff Wilson) the whole family are very grateful for all the support being given to them. After reading this report we realise how very lucky they have been and cannot express how lucky they are to have such support from a community they have just joined.

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