Family loses all in house fire

MARK DWYER/ Taranaki Daily News

STILL SMOKING: A Manaia family lost all their possessions after their home caught fire.

Relevant offers

Wedding photos were the only things spared from a devastating fire that ripped through a family home in Manaia yesterday.

The blaze, which fire officers believe started in the laundry around 2.30pm, was spurred on by a brisk northwesterly and needed four fire engines and a tanker to put it out.

Despite the firefighters' best efforts the house was gutted within an hour and a young family left with nothing – except, by some twist of fate, a few wedding photos.

Owner of the house Lynette Diack, who loaned the home to her daughter, said she was amazed the pictures had survived.

"So at least that's something for them," she said.

Mrs Diack said she had called 111 herself after a neighbour drove past the Winks Rd house and saw it on fire.

She and her husband live just metres from the home and hers was the nearest place for the neighbour to stop and call for help.

The family, who have two children under three, would live with Mrs Diack until they sorted something out with their insurance, she said.

Manaia chief fire officer Shane Taylor said thankfully no one had been injured in the blaze.

The four attending brigades, Manaia, Okaiawa, Kaponga and Hawera, had been able to get the flames under control quickly.

"But the wind had blown it through the house already," he said.

The trucks took turns driving to the end of the road to fill the tankers up at hydrant throughout the afternoon to cool the remaining embers, and were called out again at 9pm last night when the fire re-ignited.

Taranaki fire safety officer Matt Crabtree said the fire had been caused by spontaneous combustion.

An item of clothing in the laundry had ignited because it had some liquid on it, however, Mr Crabtree was unable to determine the type of liquid yesterday.

- © Fairfax NZ News