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    • Neighbours praised for raising alarm about house fire in Porirua
      • A Porirua family was sitting down to watch Shortland Street, but then they saw smoke pouring out of their neighbour's garage. "We looked out the window and there was just smoke everywhere," the neighbour, who asked not to be named, said. He has been praised for his quick actions in raising the alarm, which enabled an elderly man in the house to escape. Fire crews are continuing to investigate the fire that gutted an Ascot Park home on Wednesday night. - ROSA WOODS/STUFF An intense house fire had started just after 7pm. It gutted the single-storey Ascot Park  home, north of Wellington. "We just ran next door and simply to make sure that nobody was in there," the neighbour said. The Ascot Park house was totally engulfed in flames by the time fire crew arrived. - ROSA WOODS/STUFF "Nothing heroic or anything like that, we just banged on the door just to let them know because at that stage we didn't know if they were aware." There was one elderly man in the front room of the house and after being alerted, he managed to get out before the fire spread. "It just happens so quickly," the neighbour said of the fire. Black smoke hangs over Porirua as crews tackle the fire. - PAIL SCHOFIELD "What I've been told since then is if we hadn't notified him or got to him when we did he may well have been trapped inside." Within minutes of the fire starting, several neighbours had come out to make sure everyone was alright, the neighbour said. Fire crews were also quickly on the scene, the neighbour added. In a facebook post the Porirua Fire Brigade praised the efforts of 'a few amazing neighbours' for raising the alarm on Wednesday night. They also reiterated the importance of working smoke alarms to alert home owners to fire danger. "We tell you over and over that smoke alarms save lives, well tonight a few amazing neighbours did the job of a smoke alarm and alerted the occupant of this house to the fact that his house was on fire," the post said. The single-storey house on Almora View was totally engulfed in flames by the time fire crews arrived. The blaze was so intense that two cars next door also caught fire and thick black smoke blanketed the area. A fire service spokesman said multiple calls were received about the fire. One member of the public was treated for smoke inhalation. The cause of the fire is still unknown and is being investigated, a fire services spokeswoman said.  - Stuff

    • House significantly damaged in fire at Ascot Park in Porirua
      • A house fire broke out at Ascot Park in Porirua, north of Wellington, on Wednesday night. Thick black smoke has blanketed the area, and four fire crews were at the scene. A fire service spokesman said multiple calls were received about the fire, the first coming at 7.27pm. Black smoke hangs over Porirua as crews tackle the fire. - PAUL SCHOFIELD The bulk of the blaze had been extinguished, but fire crews were still on scene to dampen down the area. The single-storey house had sustained significant damage, the spokesman said. A witness said it was thought no-one had lived in the house for several weeks. At 8pm, smoke was still pouring from the house, and flames continued to burn on the inside. Four fire trucks and a mobile command centre were in attendance. A neighbour reported seeing flames leap as "high as the roof" before the first siren began sounding. STUFF

    • House fire in Porirua East has been put out
      • The fire in Porirua on Friday afternoon Two people have been treated for mild smoke inhalation after a house fire in Porirua. Fire crews were called to the Arahura Cres, Waitangirua house shortly before 4pm on Friday. Five fire appliances and an ambulance attended and two people from the house were treated for smoke inhalation. A house in the Porirua suburb of Waitangirua is still smoking after a fire on Friday afternoon. The house was ablaze when crews arrived but was put out before 5pm. The cause of the fire is unknown and fire safety will investigate. -Stuff

    • Two hospitalised after car crashes through Porirua fire station door and into fire truck
      • JARED NICOLL Last updated 17:18, November 6 2017 A witness saw firemen pulling a guy out of the passenger side of a Honda Accord that crashed in Porirua Fire Station on November 6. - JARED NICOLL Two men have been hospitalised after a car crashed into Porirua Fire Station and head-on into a fire truck. Police were called to the station on Mungavin Ave shortly before 2pm on Monday after a Honda Accord smashed through the front of a roller-door and into a truck parked just behind it. Wellington Free Ambulance spokeswoman Di Livingston said three men, aged in their mid-to-late 20s, were in the car. A firefighter sweeps broken glass after a Honda Accord smashed into the front of Porirua Fire Station on November 6. - JARED NICOLL One suffered serious injuries while another suffered moderate injuries. Both were taken to Wellington Hospital.   The third man had only minor injuries. A witness working nearby heard a bang as the car smashed into the station. One of his customers said the car went straight across the busy roundabout where Mungavin Ave and Champion St intersect, before hitting the station, the witness said. "Next I saw firefighters come to see what's wrong ... they pulled a guy out of the passenger side ... he just lay on the ground for the longest time." A Fire Service spokesman said none of the fire fighters who were in the station at the time were injured. A police spokeswoman said the vehicle had been towed from the scene. - Stuff

    • Porirua firefighters make history with first female officer in 67 years
      • Margaret Smith is the Porirua Volunteer Fire Brigade's first female officer-in-charge since its establishment in 1950. - JAMES PAUL/STUFF  Fresh out of firefighter training, Margaret Smith attended the "horrific" callout that would become the worst of her career. She had been a member of Porirua's Volunteer Fire Brigade for two months when the crew were called to a house fire. Two children had died in the flames that swept through the family home. Margaret Smith, second right, at last year's International Firefighters Day event in Porirua. With her, from left, are Titahi Bay volunteer firefighter Lee Barrowman, Abbie McKoy from Porirua City Council, and Plimmerton volunteers' chief fire officer Carl Mills. - ABBIE McKOY  Two decades on, Smith remembers every moment of that day, but she never regretted her decision to join the brigade. It was a decision that led her to make history in her recent appointment as the brigade's first female officer-in-charge since its establishment 67 years ago. It was dessert that landed the Porirua East resident in the hot seat. In the late 1990s, she worked at a local cake shop and would walk the day's leftover sweets to the station down the road. During one pudding delivery, a firefighter suggested she join the brigade. "He said I'd be good at it. I didn't know him from a bar of soap, and I told him I wasn't sure. I went home and told my partner,  who said it sounded awesome, so we both joined." While there might be no more free cake, the new perk is riding shotgun in the fire truck on callouts, leaving the driving for the boys. Taking the mantle from longtime volunteer and now former officer John Leighton, Smith said her appointment wouldn't change how the brigade operated during callouts. But she is taking a new hands-on approach by attending as many incidents as she can, whereas Leighton was non-operational and delegated jobs from the station. "You just get on with the job that you're trained to do. We train to a point that everything you do is muscle memory, so that external factors can be thought about while everything else just happens," she said. Not much about the job scares Smith but, when asked about what's made her nervous, a transfer of hazardous substances springs to mind. "I remember thinking, 'Shit, if this thing goes boom and I get hurt, Mum isn't going to be very happy'. "But it was a passing thought. I can't recall being scared of a job or during one. You've got to do what you've got to do, and think about it afterwards." JAMES PAUL - Stuff

    • Porirua firefighters make history with first female officer in 67 years
      • Margaret Smith is the Porirua Volunteer Fire Brigade's first female officer-in-charge since its establishment in 1950. - JAMES PAUL/STUFF  Fresh out of firefighter training, Margaret Smith attended the "horrific" callout that would become the worst of her career. She had been a member of Porirua's Volunteer Fire Brigade for two months when the crew were called to a house fire. Two children had died in the flames that swept through the family home. Margaret Smith, second right, at last year's International Firefighters Day event in Porirua. With her, from left, are Titahi Bay volunteer firefighter Lee Barrowman, Abbie McKoy from Porirua City Council, and Plimmerton volunteers' chief fire officer Carl Mills. - ABBIE McKOY  Two decades on, Smith remembers every moment of that day, but she never regretted her decision to join the brigade. It was a decision that led her to make history in her recent appointment as the brigade's first female officer-in-charge since its establishment 67 years ago. It was dessert that landed the Porirua East resident in the hot seat. In the late 1990s, she worked at a local cake shop and would walk the day's leftover sweets to the station down the road. During one pudding delivery, a firefighter suggested she join the brigade. "He said I'd be good at it. I didn't know him from a bar of soap, and I told him I wasn't sure. I went home and told my partner,  who said it sounded awesome, so we both joined." While there might be no more free cake, the new perk is riding shotgun in the fire truck on callouts, leaving the driving for the boys. Taking the mantle from longtime volunteer and now former officer John Leighton, Smith said her appointment wouldn't change how the brigade operated during callouts. But she is taking a new hands-on approach by attending as many incidents as she can, whereas Leighton was non-operational and delegated jobs from the station. "You just get on with the job that you're trained to do. We train to a point that everything you do is muscle memory, so that external factors can be thought about while everything else just happens," she said. Not much about the job scares Smith but, when asked about what's made her nervous, a transfer of hazardous substances springs to mind. "I remember thinking, 'Shit, if this thing goes boom and I get hurt, Mum isn't going to be very happy'. "But it was a passing thought. I can't recall being scared of a job or during one. You've got to do what you've got to do, and think about it afterwards." JAMES PAUL - Stuff

    • Fire brigade battle scrub fire near Porirua Station
      • A Porirua firefighter drags a hose through the Porirua stream to gain access to the scrub fire at the northern end of the railway station. JAMES PAUL Firefighters battled a large scrub fire near Porirua Station this morning. Fire Service central communications relieving shift manager Belinda Beets said the Porirua Fire Brigade were sent to 1 Station Road East, near Piggy Packers Rentals at about 10.20am to extinguish a large area of blazing toetoe flax. Crew members clambered over a fence and through Porirua Stream with fire hoses to gain better access to the fire. Plumes of smoke could be seen a couple of kilometres away in the centre of Porirua. Porirua Fire Brigade battle a scrub fire just outside Piggy Packers Rentals boundary, at the northern end of the railway station. JAMES PAUL The blaze was extinguished about midday, and no-one was injured. One bystander, who was at the scene before the two fire engines arrived, said he saw a man on top of a container with a phone in one hand and a hose in another, trying to put out the flames. It was not yet known how the fire started. A bystander watches as firefighters try to gain better access to a scrub fire that rages at the northern end of Porirua Station. JAMES PAUL JAMES PAUL

    • Fire brigade battle scrub fire near Porirua Station
      • A Porirua firefighter drags a hose through the Porirua stream to gain access to the scrub fire at the northern end of the railway station. JAMES PAUL Firefighters battled a large scrub fire near Porirua Station this morning. Fire Service central communications relieving shift manager Belinda Beets said the Porirua Fire Brigade were sent to 1 Station Road East, near Piggy Packers Rentals at about 10.20am to extinguish a large area of blazing toetoe flax. Crew members clambered over a fence and through Porirua Stream with fire hoses to gain better access to the fire. Plumes of smoke could be seen a couple of kilometres away in the centre of Porirua. Porirua Fire Brigade battle a scrub fire just outside Piggy Packers Rentals boundary, at the northern end of the railway station. JAMES PAUL The blaze was extinguished about midday, and no-one was injured. One bystander, who was at the scene before the two fire engines arrived, said he saw a man on top of a container with a phone in one hand and a hose in another, trying to put out the flames. It was not yet known how the fire started. A bystander watches as firefighters try to gain better access to a scrub fire that rages at the northern end of Porirua Station. JAMES PAUL JAMES PAUL

    • Homeless man in hospital after fire rips through Porirua bush
      • VIRGINIA FALLON/FAIRFAX NZ The makeshift camp is in a stand of pine trees by Porirua's Te Wananga O Aotearoa on Heriot Street. A homeless man thought to have been sleeping rough near Porirua is in hospital with serious burns after firefighters found him near death. The 41-year-old man - found around 4.30pm on Thursday near the local shopping mall, north of Wellington - was initially taken to Hutt Hospital, then to the National Burns Centre at Auckland's Middlemore Hospital on Monday. He has undergone several surgical procedures. VIRGINIA FALLON/FAIRFAX NZ The scene of a fire on June 29 where a man - thought to be homeless - was badly injured. He is in a serious but stable condition, a hospital spokeswoman said. Detective Senior Sergeant Grant Ferguson said police were continuing to investigate the cause of the fire and wanted to hear from anyone who was in the area at the time. GOOGLE MAPS A 41-year-old man was found by firefighters with serious burns as they attended a fire in trees behind Porirua's North City Plaza on Thursday. "In particular, we would like to identify a man seen walking away from the scene in a northerly direction, along the grass bank," Ferguson said. The man is described as Caucasian, 30 to 40 years old, of medium height and build and wearing long black pants and a grey puffer-type jacket. He was carrying a grey or black backpack and witnesses described him as 'scruffy' and thought he may also have been living rough. On Thursday, a witness to the fire said the burnt man's body and clothes were "smoking when he was dragged out of the pine trees". Firefighters doused him with water before he was taken away by ambulance, she said. Another witness, who did not want to be named, said he had seen a man "walking very quickly" away from the area. On Tuesday, the charred remains of a makeshift camp remained among trees near Porirua's Te Wananga O Aotearoa on Heriot Drive. Branches had been used to make a shelter and burned clothes, bedding, food and cooking utensils were strewn among the pine needles. If you have information that could help the police investigation call Porirua Police on 04 238 1400.  -  MATT STEWART AND VIRGINIA FALLON STUFF

    • Homeless man in hospital after fire rips through Porirua bush
      • VIRGINIA FALLON/FAIRFAX NZ The makeshift camp is in a stand of pine trees by Porirua's Te Wananga O Aotearoa on Heriot Street. A homeless man thought to have been sleeping rough near Porirua is in hospital with serious burns after firefighters found him near death. The 41-year-old man - found around 4.30pm on Thursday near the local shopping mall, north of Wellington - was initially taken to Hutt Hospital, then to the National Burns Centre at Auckland's Middlemore Hospital on Monday. He has undergone several surgical procedures. VIRGINIA FALLON/FAIRFAX NZ The scene of a fire on June 29 where a man - thought to be homeless - was badly injured. He is in a serious but stable condition, a hospital spokeswoman said. Detective Senior Sergeant Grant Ferguson said police were continuing to investigate the cause of the fire and wanted to hear from anyone who was in the area at the time. GOOGLE MAPS A 41-year-old man was found by firefighters with serious burns as they attended a fire in trees behind Porirua's North City Plaza on Thursday. "In particular, we would like to identify a man seen walking away from the scene in a northerly direction, along the grass bank," Ferguson said. The man is described as Caucasian, 30 to 40 years old, of medium height and build and wearing long black pants and a grey puffer-type jacket. He was carrying a grey or black backpack and witnesses described him as 'scruffy' and thought he may also have been living rough. On Thursday, a witness to the fire said the burnt man's body and clothes were "smoking when he was dragged out of the pine trees". Firefighters doused him with water before he was taken away by ambulance, she said. Another witness, who did not want to be named, said he had seen a man "walking very quickly" away from the area. On Tuesday, the charred remains of a makeshift camp remained among trees near Porirua's Te Wananga O Aotearoa on Heriot Drive. Branches had been used to make a shelter and burned clothes, bedding, food and cooking utensils were strewn among the pine needles. If you have information that could help the police investigation call Porirua Police on 04 238 1400.  -  MATT STEWART AND VIRGINIA FALLON STUFF

    • ‘Big day’ as NZ’s fire services merge
      • It's the beginning of a new era for firefighters around the country, with the establishment of Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ). From 1 July 2017, Fire and Emergency New Zealand is replacing the New Zealand Fire Service. Photo: Supplied / Fire and Emergency New Zealand The new organisation will merge the country's 40 rural, urban, career and volunteer fire services, and bring together over 14,000 staff, including 11,300 volunteers and 2800 career firefighters and support staff. Rural firefighters in action Photo: Supplied / Fire and Emergency New Zealand Tomorrow marks day one of the organisation, as the Fire and Emergency New Zealand Act comes into effect, replacing the 40-year-old Fire Services Act. FENZ national commander of urban fire and emergency Paul McGill said the changes meant their work responding to emergencies such as car crashes, medical calls, and weather events would be legally mandated. He said firefighters around the country now attended more medical emergencies and car crashes than burning buildings and scrub fires. "We're really excited about [the changes]. We think it's really time to bring all the services together so Saturday's a big day for us, it will give us the mandate we need to take on all the non-fire work we've been doing for quite a while and will help to improve the service significantly." "The legislation we have been operating under is over 40 years old and doesn't recognise all the non-fire work that firefighters doing today, so this brings that up to date." He said the new organisation could also provide a more coordinated response and better support for volunteers. "With over 40 services now, they do differ in the resourcing they have, and the training they get, so we will be able to bring all that together to provide consistent service right around the country." But Professional Firefighters Union secretary Derek Best said he was worried there might still be a divide between rural and urban firefighters, and that could spark confusion around who would be in charge when firefighters attended a callout. "We still have the artificial barrier between urban and rural, and that seems to be going to continue for a little while, but that's what causes the problem - like in Wellington, the Mount Victoria area is classified as rural, which is a nonsense in terms of who is available to respond to any incidents that happen there." But Richard McNamara, the principal rural fire officer for Marlborough, disagreed, saying that wouldn't get in the way of them doing their job. "How we interact with each other comes down to command and control, and there are some very clear guidelines put out by FENZ about how that's going to operate. "Provided we stick to the game plan and are prepared to talk to each other, then it will go well." The new organisation will be funded in the same way as the Fire Service, mainly from levies paid on property, contents and car insurance. The restructure is expected to cost about $300 million. Firefighters respond to a car crash in the 2000s: The new arrangement will do a better job of recognising the non-fire work that firefighters do, FENZ says. Photo: Supplied / Fire and Emergency New Zealand Adriana Weber, Emergency Services Reporter - Radio New Zealand

    • ‘Big day’ as NZ’s fire services merge
      • It's the beginning of a new era for firefighters around the country, with the establishment of Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ). From 1 July 2017, Fire and Emergency New Zealand is replacing the New Zealand Fire Service. Photo: Supplied / Fire and Emergency New Zealand The new organisation will merge the country's 40 rural, urban, career and volunteer fire services, and bring together over 14,000 staff, including 11,300 volunteers and 2800 career firefighters and support staff. Rural firefighters in action Photo: Supplied / Fire and Emergency New Zealand Tomorrow marks day one of the organisation, as the Fire and Emergency New Zealand Act comes into effect, replacing the 40-year-old Fire Services Act. FENZ national commander of urban fire and emergency Paul McGill said the changes meant their work responding to emergencies such as car crashes, medical calls, and weather events would be legally mandated. He said firefighters around the country now attended more medical emergencies and car crashes than burning buildings and scrub fires. "We're really excited about [the changes]. We think it's really time to bring all the services together so Saturday's a big day for us, it will give us the mandate we need to take on all the non-fire work we've been doing for quite a while and will help to improve the service significantly." "The legislation we have been operating under is over 40 years old and doesn't recognise all the non-fire work that firefighters doing today, so this brings that up to date." He said the new organisation could also provide a more coordinated response and better support for volunteers. "With over 40 services now, they do differ in the resourcing they have, and the training they get, so we will be able to bring all that together to provide consistent service right around the country." But Professional Firefighters Union secretary Derek Best said he was worried there might still be a divide between rural and urban firefighters, and that could spark confusion around who would be in charge when firefighters attended a callout. "We still have the artificial barrier between urban and rural, and that seems to be going to continue for a little while, but that's what causes the problem - like in Wellington, the Mount Victoria area is classified as rural, which is a nonsense in terms of who is available to respond to any incidents that happen there." But Richard McNamara, the principal rural fire officer for Marlborough, disagreed, saying that wouldn't get in the way of them doing their job. "How we interact with each other comes down to command and control, and there are some very clear guidelines put out by FENZ about how that's going to operate. "Provided we stick to the game plan and are prepared to talk to each other, then it will go well." The new organisation will be funded in the same way as the Fire Service, mainly from levies paid on property, contents and car insurance. The restructure is expected to cost about $300 million. Firefighters respond to a car crash in the 2000s: The new arrangement will do a better job of recognising the non-fire work that firefighters do, FENZ says. Photo: Supplied / Fire and Emergency New Zealand Adriana Weber, Emergency Services Reporter - Radio New Zealand

    • ‘We have nothing left’: Family fights flames but loses everything in Porirua house fire
      • The house in Cannons Creek, Porirua, was fully ablaze just after 9am on Thursday.                    RAJ PRATAP Vasati Lopati tried desperately to beat out the flames leaping up her living room walls. Her young nieces and nephew, staying for the school holidays, ran for their lives as she fought the fire that was beginning to lick at the ceiling of her home in the Porirua suburb of Cannons Creek on Thursday. Lopati knew she would lose everything if she could not extinguish the fire, so she stayed inside until the windows began to explode. Vasati Rosana Lopati has lost everything in the fire at her rented home in Champion St.               RAJ PRATAP Minutes later she joined her family on the footpath and watched as everything they owned was destroyed. Husband Muaau was driving his taxi when he heard about the fire. "We've lost everything. We have nothing left now," he said. Firefighters finally got the upper hand, but only after a second crew was called in to help. RAJ PRATAP "It started in the living room but the only things in there were the computer and the TV, and they weren't on." The couple, originally from Samoa, had lived in the house for four years and did not have contents insurance. Muaau Lopati said he was grateful a smoke alarm had alerted his family to the fire so they could get out in time. The house was gutted by the fire, which started in the living room. RAJ PRATAP The couple are now appealing for help to replace their lost possessions. "We have no clothes, no beds and the children have no shoes." The property's owner, who did not want to be named, said the couple were "lovely, friendly" people who kept to themselves. He had offered them another home, just up the road from the one that burned, but it was not perfect, he said. "I was plastering it this morning when the fire happened. It isn't ideal, but at least they have a roof over their heads." Fire Service central communications shift manager Murray Dunbar said four fire engines were sent to the Champion St property shortly before 9am. The blaze was extinguished about 90 minutes later. Porirua fire investigator Russell Postlewaight​ believed the fire in the lounge may have been caused by electronics. "The two ladies in the house were alerted by the working smoke alarm that happened to be at that end of the house, and they managed to escape uninjured. "The severity of the fire in the lounge was so [strong] that, at that end of the house, it would have been unsurvivable." At one point, the fire got so bad that the officer in charge had called for a full second team to help. Firefighters were particularly concerned about the heavy concrete tiles falling from the burning roof above. About half the ceiling of the old timber house was burned.  - Stuff  VIRGINIA FALLON AND JARED NICOLL

    • ‘We have nothing left’: Family fights flames but loses everything in Porirua house fire
      • The house in Cannons Creek, Porirua, was fully ablaze just after 9am on Thursday.                    RAJ PRATAP Vasati Lopati tried desperately to beat out the flames leaping up her living room walls. Her young nieces and nephew, staying for the school holidays, ran for their lives as she fought the fire that was beginning to lick at the ceiling of her home in the Porirua suburb of Cannons Creek on Thursday. Lopati knew she would lose everything if she could not extinguish the fire, so she stayed inside until the windows began to explode. Vasati Rosana Lopati has lost everything in the fire at her rented home in Champion St.               RAJ PRATAP Minutes later she joined her family on the footpath and watched as everything they owned was destroyed. Husband Muaau was driving his taxi when he heard about the fire. "We've lost everything. We have nothing left now," he said. Firefighters finally got the upper hand, but only after a second crew was called in to help. RAJ PRATAP "It started in the living room but the only things in there were the computer and the TV, and they weren't on." The couple, originally from Samoa, had lived in the house for four years and did not have contents insurance. Muaau Lopati said he was grateful a smoke alarm had alerted his family to the fire so they could get out in time. The house was gutted by the fire, which started in the living room. RAJ PRATAP The couple are now appealing for help to replace their lost possessions. "We have no clothes, no beds and the children have no shoes." The property's owner, who did not want to be named, said the couple were "lovely, friendly" people who kept to themselves. He had offered them another home, just up the road from the one that burned, but it was not perfect, he said. "I was plastering it this morning when the fire happened. It isn't ideal, but at least they have a roof over their heads." Fire Service central communications shift manager Murray Dunbar said four fire engines were sent to the Champion St property shortly before 9am. The blaze was extinguished about 90 minutes later. Porirua fire investigator Russell Postlewaight​ believed the fire in the lounge may have been caused by electronics. "The two ladies in the house were alerted by the working smoke alarm that happened to be at that end of the house, and they managed to escape uninjured. "The severity of the fire in the lounge was so [strong] that, at that end of the house, it would have been unsurvivable." At one point, the fire got so bad that the officer in charge had called for a full second team to help. Firefighters were particularly concerned about the heavy concrete tiles falling from the burning roof above. About half the ceiling of the old timber house was burned.  - Stuff  VIRGINIA FALLON AND JARED NICOLL

    • Firefighters extinguish morning house fire in Porirua
      • The house is well involved just after 9am on Thursday. RAJ PRATAP A Porirua house was gutted by fire on Thursday morning. Four fire engines were sent to the property in Champion St, Porirua East, shortly before 9am. Fire Service central communications shift manager Murray Dunbar said no-one was injured, and the blaze was extinguished about 90 minutes later. Firefighters get the upper hand in Porirua.   RAJ PRATAP Staff would remain at the scene for some time to ensure it did not flare up. The cause was not yet known. The house in Champion St, Porirua, was gutted on Thursday morning. RAJ PRATAP STUFF

    • Firefighters extinguish morning house fire in Porirua
      • The house is well involved just after 9am on Thursday. RAJ PRATAP A Porirua house was gutted by fire on Thursday morning. Four fire engines were sent to the property in Champion St, Porirua East, shortly before 9am. Fire Service central communications shift manager Murray Dunbar said no-one was injured, and the blaze was extinguished about 90 minutes later. Firefighters get the upper hand in Porirua.   RAJ PRATAP Staff would remain at the scene for some time to ensure it did not flare up. The cause was not yet known. The house in Champion St, Porirua, was gutted on Thursday morning. RAJ PRATAP STUFF

    • Porirua firefighters putting in the hard yards for Sky Tower Challenge
      • From left, Porirua volunteer firefighters Osi Meavao, Xan Ioane, Alamaine Thomas and Paul Setefano will take part in the Sky Tower Stair Challenge in May. - PAUL SETEFANO Putting a pack on his back and climbing up and down the stairwells of a Wellington office building is not Paul Setefano's idea of fun, but it has to be done. The long-time Porirua volunteer firefighter will be taking part in his eighth Sky Tower Stair Challenge on May 13. The record 900 participants - organisers are starting to put a cap on entrants due to numbers increasing each year - will be dressed in full firefighter gear with 25kg of equipment on their back. Then they have to ascend the Sky Tower's 1103 steps, or 51 floors, all in the name of raising money for Leukaemia & Blood Cancer New Zealand. Setefano said it got a bit harder each year, but he and the three others from the Porirua station were dedicated. "Our focus has more been on the fundraising, so the hard part is done before we get to [the Sky Tower]," he said. "We fundraise together but the onus is on you to do the training. "Once we're there in Auckland, it's just a case of taking a big breath and doing it. "My training always goes out the window and it takes me ages to get to the top - I ask myself why I do it each time." He spends a few lunchtimes each week, going down in the lift in his office building, climbing the stairs, and then repeating. "I get a few funny looks and if anyone is silly enough to ask why, I tell them." Setefano will be joined by fellow Porirua firefighters Xan Ioane, Alamaine Thomas and Osi Meavao. ​Firefighters from the Tawa, Plimmerton and Titahi Bay volunteer brigades will also be taking part, shaking buckets outside supermarkets in the coming weeks prior to the big day. Setefano and his Porirua teammates did brilliantly in 2014, topping the money-raised leaderboard as they raised more than $40,000 in five months. The last few years they have not put in "crazy hours" like they did that time, he said, but the hope is till to raise $10,000 for the cause. In 2016, firefighters from across New Zealand collected $1.1 million through sponsorship and hitting the streets with fundraising buckets. *Go to firefightersclimb.org.nz to donate.  - Stuff - KRIS DANDO

    • Porirua firefighters putting in the hard yards for Sky Tower Challenge
      • From left, Porirua volunteer firefighters Osi Meavao, Xan Ioane, Alamaine Thomas and Paul Setefano will take part in the Sky Tower Stair Challenge in May. - PAUL SETEFANO Putting a pack on his back and climbing up and down the stairwells of a Wellington office building is not Paul Setefano's idea of fun, but it has to be done. The long-time Porirua volunteer firefighter will be taking part in his eighth Sky Tower Stair Challenge on May 13. The record 900 participants - organisers are starting to put a cap on entrants due to numbers increasing each year - will be dressed in full firefighter gear with 25kg of equipment on their back. Then they have to ascend the Sky Tower's 1103 steps, or 51 floors, all in the name of raising money for Leukaemia & Blood Cancer New Zealand. Setefano said it got a bit harder each year, but he and the three others from the Porirua station were dedicated. "Our focus has more been on the fundraising, so the hard part is done before we get to [the Sky Tower]," he said. "We fundraise together but the onus is on you to do the training. "Once we're there in Auckland, it's just a case of taking a big breath and doing it. "My training always goes out the window and it takes me ages to get to the top - I ask myself why I do it each time." He spends a few lunchtimes each week, going down in the lift in his office building, climbing the stairs, and then repeating. "I get a few funny looks and if anyone is silly enough to ask why, I tell them." Setefano will be joined by fellow Porirua firefighters Xan Ioane, Alamaine Thomas and Osi Meavao. ​Firefighters from the Tawa, Plimmerton and Titahi Bay volunteer brigades will also be taking part, shaking buckets outside supermarkets in the coming weeks prior to the big day. Setefano and his Porirua teammates did brilliantly in 2014, topping the money-raised leaderboard as they raised more than $40,000 in five months. The last few years they have not put in "crazy hours" like they did that time, he said, but the hope is till to raise $10,000 for the cause. In 2016, firefighters from across New Zealand collected $1.1 million through sponsorship and hitting the streets with fundraising buckets. *Go to firefightersclimb.org.nz to donate.  - Stuff - KRIS DANDO

    • Van destroyed and classrooms damaged in fire at Te Kura Maori O Porirua
      •   Te Kura Maori O Porirua was also damaged by an arsonist in 2006. School trustee Tui looks over the gutted new entrants block.  ROSS GIBLIN/FAIRFAX NZ Te Kura Maori O Porirua saved for eight years to buy its school van, which has now been torched in a suspected arson overnight that also damaged two classrooms. The full immersion school north of Wellington has a school roll of 252 pupils, who are due to return soon for the first term of the year.  Principal Sophie Tukukino said she was called out to the school about 1.30am on Tuesday to find the school van ablaze. A fire at a Porirua school has wrecked its van that it saved for eight years to buy.  SIMON MAUDE/FAIRFAX NZ The fire also damaged some nearby classrooms, and a staffroom wall. The van was parked on a covered walkway on the school grounds, and Tukukino said she was saddened it had been targeted. It was used to ferry pupils to activities and the library. "We were really proud of being able to purchase it. It cost a lot of money – it was a big investment for the school." Safety glass on classroom windows appeared to have prevented the fire spreading further, as they withstood the heat and did not burst. "We're fortunate that there was very little wind last night," Tukukino said. It looked to her as if someone had tried to break into the van first. The suspicious fire was not the first at the school. In 2006, two deliberately lit fires destroyed four classrooms in the new entrants block. That arson turned out to be the handiwork of culprits "with nothing to do", Tukukino said. The school had received support from the police, the Fire Service and Ministry of Education. It was insured and hoped to be able to replace the van and repair the damage to the buildings. ​Porirua Fire Station confirmed its night shift firefighters attended the callout, which had been recorded as suspicious and required four fire engines to quell. Stuff -TALIA SHADWELL

    • Van destroyed and classrooms damaged in fire at Te Kura Maori O Porirua
      •   Te Kura Maori O Porirua was also damaged by an arsonist in 2006. School trustee Tui looks over the gutted new entrants block.  ROSS GIBLIN/FAIRFAX NZ Te Kura Maori O Porirua saved for eight years to buy its school van, which has now been torched in a suspected arson overnight that also damaged two classrooms. The full immersion school north of Wellington has a school roll of 252 pupils, who are due to return soon for the first term of the year.  Principal Sophie Tukukino said she was called out to the school about 1.30am on Tuesday to find the school van ablaze. A fire at a Porirua school has wrecked its van that it saved for eight years to buy.  SIMON MAUDE/FAIRFAX NZ The fire also damaged some nearby classrooms, and a staffroom wall. The van was parked on a covered walkway on the school grounds, and Tukukino said she was saddened it had been targeted. It was used to ferry pupils to activities and the library. "We were really proud of being able to purchase it. It cost a lot of money – it was a big investment for the school." Safety glass on classroom windows appeared to have prevented the fire spreading further, as they withstood the heat and did not burst. "We're fortunate that there was very little wind last night," Tukukino said. It looked to her as if someone had tried to break into the van first. The suspicious fire was not the first at the school. In 2006, two deliberately lit fires destroyed four classrooms in the new entrants block. That arson turned out to be the handiwork of culprits "with nothing to do", Tukukino said. The school had received support from the police, the Fire Service and Ministry of Education. It was insured and hoped to be able to replace the van and repair the damage to the buildings. ​Porirua Fire Station confirmed its night shift firefighters attended the callout, which had been recorded as suspicious and required four fire engines to quell. Stuff -TALIA SHADWELL

    • Fire on Porirua street where police dog Gazza was killed
      • document.createElement('video'); http://poriruafire.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/kokiri-fire-house.mp4 Police and fire investigators are at the scene of a badly damaged Porirua house, where Gazza the police dog was shot and killed last month. The fire was at the house on Kokiri Crescent where gunman Pita Tekira fatally shot Gazza on April 22. The fire started about 10.45pm on Sunday. Fire service assistant area commander Gareth Hughes said when firefighters arrived, flames were coming out the side windows of the house. A fire gutted a Porirua home over night. - Supplied The blaze was out out by 11.30pm and no-one was found inside the property, Hughes said. The Kokiri Cres house the morning after the fire. - Rob Kitchin/Fairfax NZ "It's very badly damaged, I'm sure there's structural stability inside, but it's very badly damaged," Hughes said. Seven fire trucks and firefighters from Porirua, Johnsonville and Wellington attended the fire. Emergency services were called to the blaze on Sunday night. - ROSS GIBLIN Emergency services maintained a presence at the site overnight. Police confirmed the house was the same one where Gazza was shot, before Tekira moved up the street to another house, where he eventually took his own life. Police senior sergeant Andrzej Kowalczyk said initial reports from the Fire Service indicated there was some "cause for concern" that the fire was suspicious. However, police would not be able to confirm that till they met with a fire investigator at the scene later in the morning, he said. FIRE SOUNDED LIKE 'GUNSHOTS' Simon Paul, who lives next door to the burnt-out house heard sounds like "gunshots" at about 10.30pm on Sunday. The sounds were actually "the walls of the house blowing out", he said. Emergency services were at the scene of the blaze on Kokiri St late on Sunday night. - ROSS GIBLIN While there was nobody in the house, there was a family in an adjoining house, he said. "An Asian woman came out screaming," Paul said. "They were asleep. The whole family was in there." Daniel Lawrence, whose lives over the road, confirmed the woman who had lived in the house was at some point the partner of Tekira. The damage viewed from a neighbouring property. - SAGATO NAFATALI She had been away since the shooting, but had returned to grab some stuff, he said. A neighbour, who did not want to be named, said she was called outside by her husband on Sunday night, after hearing what she initially thought was the sound of fireworks going off. When they got outside, they saw the neighbouring two-storey property was well ablaze. The house on Kokiri Street was gutted by the blaze. - ROSS GIBLIN The flames were so intense they had to jump the fence to a neighbouring property away from the fire, she said. Her husband pulled their car out of their driveway away from the flames. The neighbour said nobody had been in the house for a week, since the siege. The blaze was brought under control on Sunday night. - ROSS GIBLIN The street had been expecting something like this to happen to the houses involved in the siege, she said. Police were door-knocking the street's residents about midnight, as firefighters continued dampening down the house's interior. At the scene on Monday morning, guards keep watch over the gutted house, where the light green paint has melted from the heat of the fire. A neighbour said the house was the same property where police dog Gazza was shot. - ROSS GIBLIN Daylight can be seen shining through the house, with no internal walls left to speak of. A green and yellow plastic swing is hanging from the pohutukawa tree in the front yard unharmed by the fire that was just metres away.  - Stuff  JOEL MAXWELL AND TOM HUNT

    • Fire on Porirua street where police dog Gazza was killed
      • document.createElement('video'); http://poriruafire.nz/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/kokiri-fire-house.mp4 Police and fire investigators are at the scene of a badly damaged Porirua house, where Gazza the police dog was shot and killed last month. The fire was at the house on Kokiri Crescent where gunman Pita Tekira fatally shot Gazza on April 22. The fire started about 10.45pm on Sunday. Fire service assistant area commander Gareth Hughes said when firefighters arrived, flames were coming out the side windows of the house. A fire gutted a Porirua home over night. - Supplied The blaze was out out by 11.30pm and no-one was found inside the property, Hughes said. The Kokiri Cres house the morning after the fire. - Rob Kitchin/Fairfax NZ "It's very badly damaged, I'm sure there's structural stability inside, but it's very badly damaged," Hughes said. Seven fire trucks and firefighters from Porirua, Johnsonville and Wellington attended the fire. Emergency services were called to the blaze on Sunday night. - ROSS GIBLIN Emergency services maintained a presence at the site overnight. Police confirmed the house was the same one where Gazza was shot, before Tekira moved up the street to another house, where he eventually took his own life. Police senior sergeant Andrzej Kowalczyk said initial reports from the Fire Service indicated there was some "cause for concern" that the fire was suspicious. However, police would not be able to confirm that till they met with a fire investigator at the scene later in the morning, he said. FIRE SOUNDED LIKE 'GUNSHOTS' Simon Paul, who lives next door to the burnt-out house heard sounds like "gunshots" at about 10.30pm on Sunday. The sounds were actually "the walls of the house blowing out", he said. Emergency services were at the scene of the blaze on Kokiri St late on Sunday night. - ROSS GIBLIN While there was nobody in the house, there was a family in an adjoining house, he said. "An Asian woman came out screaming," Paul said. "They were asleep. The whole family was in there." Daniel Lawrence, whose lives over the road, confirmed the woman who had lived in the house was at some point the partner of Tekira. The damage viewed from a neighbouring property. - SAGATO NAFATALI She had been away since the shooting, but had returned to grab some stuff, he said. A neighbour, who did not want to be named, said she was called outside by her husband on Sunday night, after hearing what she initially thought was the sound of fireworks going off. When they got outside, they saw the neighbouring two-storey property was well ablaze. The house on Kokiri Street was gutted by the blaze. - ROSS GIBLIN The flames were so intense they had to jump the fence to a neighbouring property away from the fire, she said. Her husband pulled their car out of their driveway away from the flames. The neighbour said nobody had been in the house for a week, since the siege. The blaze was brought under control on Sunday night. - ROSS GIBLIN The street had been expecting something like this to happen to the houses involved in the siege, she said. Police were door-knocking the street's residents about midnight, as firefighters continued dampening down the house's interior. At the scene on Monday morning, guards keep watch over the gutted house, where the light green paint has melted from the heat of the fire. A neighbour said the house was the same property where police dog Gazza was shot. - ROSS GIBLIN Daylight can be seen shining through the house, with no internal walls left to speak of. A green and yellow plastic swing is hanging from the pohutukawa tree in the front yard unharmed by the fire that was just metres away.  - Stuff  JOEL MAXWELL AND TOM HUNT

    • Fire at Porirua property involved in siege that killed police dog Gazza
      • http://poriruafire.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/1462109156877-kokirifire.mp4 The street at the centre of last month's Porirua siege has been hit by drama again.  A house on Kokiri Crescent where gunman Pita Tekira fatally shot police dog Gazza on April 22 was gutted by a house fire began about 10.45pm on Sunday. Fire service assistant area commander Gareth Hughes said when firefighters arrived, flames were coming out of all the windows on the house's right-hand side. Emergency services were called to the blaze on Sunday night. -ROSS GIBLIN The blaze was extinguished by 11.30pm and no one was found inside the property, Hughes said The cause of the fire was not yet clear. Fire safety investigators were on their way to the scene late on Sunday night. "It's very badly damaged, I'm sure there's structural stability inside, but it's very badly damaged at this stage," Hughes said. Seven fire engines and personnel from Porirua, Johnsonville and Wellington attended the blaze. Emergency services would maintain a presence at the site overnight. Emergency services were at the scene of the blaze on Kokiri St late on Sunday night. -ROSS GIBLIN A neighbour, who did not want to be named, said the burnt-out house was where the siege started on April 22, when Tekira shot Gazza before moving up the street to another house, where he eventually took his own life. Hughes was unable to say whether the second siege house would be placed under guard following the blaze, referring questions to police. The house's neighbour said she was called outside by her husband on Sunday night, after hearing what she initially thought was the sound of fireworks going off. When they got outside, they saw the neighbouring two-storey property was well ablaze. The flames were so intense they had to jump the fence to a neighbouring property away from the fire, she said. Her husband pulled their car out of their driveway away from the flames. The neighbour said nobody had been in the house for a week, since the siege. The street had been expecting something like this to happen to the houses involved in the siege, she said. The damage viewed from a neighbouring property. - SAGATO NAFATALI Police were door-knocking the street's residents about midnight, as firefighters continued dampening down the house's interior. The house on Kokiri Street was gutted by the blaze. - ROSS GIBLIN The blaze was brought under control on Sunday night. - ROSS GIBLIN A neighbour said the house was the same property where police dog Gazza was shot. - ROSS GIBLIN -STUFF

    • Fire at Porirua property involved in siege that killed police dog Gazza
      • http://poriruafire.nz/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/1462109156877-kokirifire.mp4 The street at the centre of last month's Porirua siege has been hit by drama again.  A house on Kokiri Crescent where gunman Pita Tekira fatally shot police dog Gazza on April 22 was gutted by a house fire began about 10.45pm on Sunday. Fire service assistant area commander Gareth Hughes said when firefighters arrived, flames were coming out of all the windows on the house's right-hand side. Emergency services were called to the blaze on Sunday night. -ROSS GIBLIN The blaze was extinguished by 11.30pm and no one was found inside the property, Hughes said The cause of the fire was not yet clear. Fire safety investigators were on their way to the scene late on Sunday night. "It's very badly damaged, I'm sure there's structural stability inside, but it's very badly damaged at this stage," Hughes said. Seven fire engines and personnel from Porirua, Johnsonville and Wellington attended the blaze. Emergency services would maintain a presence at the site overnight. Emergency services were at the scene of the blaze on Kokiri St late on Sunday night. -ROSS GIBLIN A neighbour, who did not want to be named, said the burnt-out house was where the siege started on April 22, when Tekira shot Gazza before moving up the street to another house, where he eventually took his own life. Hughes was unable to say whether the second siege house would be placed under guard following the blaze, referring questions to police. The house's neighbour said she was called outside by her husband on Sunday night, after hearing what she initially thought was the sound of fireworks going off. When they got outside, they saw the neighbouring two-storey property was well ablaze. The flames were so intense they had to jump the fence to a neighbouring property away from the fire, she said. Her husband pulled their car out of their driveway away from the flames. The neighbour said nobody had been in the house for a week, since the siege. The street had been expecting something like this to happen to the houses involved in the siege, she said. The damage viewed from a neighbouring property. - SAGATO NAFATALI Police were door-knocking the street's residents about midnight, as firefighters continued dampening down the house's interior. The house on Kokiri Street was gutted by the blaze. - ROSS GIBLIN The blaze was brought under control on Sunday night. - ROSS GIBLIN A neighbour said the house was the same property where police dog Gazza was shot. - ROSS GIBLIN -STUFF

    • Whitireia Park fire flashback
      • A view from Paremata on February 21, 2010, looking towards the fire in Whitireia Park - Supplied Russell Postlewaight had not long poured himself a scotch when he saw the smoke. Porirua's chief fire safety officer lives in Paremata and has a fantastic view looking towards Porirua Harbour and Whitireia Park. On the evening of Sunday, February 21, 2010, he was settling down when he spotted telltale tendrils of smoke above Shelley Bay on the other side of the water. "In no time the smoke had become flames and I thought, 'No good can come of this'. I watched it all develop and it lit up the sky." The huge blaze caused hundreds of people on Gloaming Hill to be evacuated and briefly threatened the Titahi Golf Club. In the end, 30 hectares was charred by the blaze, and it took years to recover. The cost to fight the fire and to the park was estimated at more than $500,000. The blaze is thought to be the biggest in Porirua's history. Six crews from around the region attended, with 60 of the 80 firefighters volunteers, and four helicopters with monsoon buckets were used. Titahi Bay resident Sarah Campbell recalled her two eldest children, 4 and 5, thought the smoke, sirens, helicopter and fire engines was a "great adventure", but her two youngest, 22 months and 2 weeks, were terrified by the noise and drama. "Despite a rough evening for our family, we were not in imminent danger and were able to offer friends meals and coffee when they were evacuated from their homes," she said. "I saw the fire as it was starting and had no idea then that it would become as huge as it did." Fellow resident Donna Ford-Tuveve remembered the crackling of the fire and feeling the heat over her boundary fence. "The prevailing wind and the awesome work of the fire crews were the saviours," she said.  "One of our sons was a newborn. I was getting them ready to go to their nana's in the east, because I was concerned how close the fire was. The burnt smell lingered for ages." Porirua firefighter Kevin Hintz worked on the fire the following day and said it was tough work. "We were in gullies and had to use chainsaws to cut a track in. The conditions were dry and the flames were travelling quickly." Postlewaight said it was the most spectacular fire in Porirua's history. Two dry summers and warm winds created the perfect recipe for fire, he said. "It showed off the basic tenets of teamwork [among fire crews and senior command] and was a plain, old-fashioned slog. It did get rid of a lot of gorse, however." There was smoke damage to houses, but no-one was injured. Members of the Red Cross, Wellington Free Ambulance and fire services were later publicly thanked in a ceremony at the golf club. The Whitireia Park Restoration Group was established to set up replanting projects and weed control. A 14-year-old was charged with deliberately starting a fire and went through the courts. Kapi-Mana News - KRIS DANDO

    • Man burned trying to fight Porirua house fire with garden hose, witnesses say
      • Titahi Bay and Porirua fire crews are attending a house fire on Te Pene Avenue, Titahi Bay. - MATT DUNCAN/FAIRFAX NZ Witnesses say a man tried to fight a fire in a Porirua house with a garden hose before it consumed the entire place. The man is understood to have been treated for burns to one of his arms after attempting to douse the fire in the suburb of Titahi Bay on Sunday afternoon. Six fire crews and a hazardous materials unit were called to the house in Te Pene Ave at at 2.47pm. They were joined by two ambulances and a police car. The fire was "well involved" by the time fire crew arrived, and Chief Fire Officer Sean Malone, of the Titahi Bay Fire Brigade, described the house as "extensively" damaged by the fire. But, fortunately, fire fighters managed stop the flames from spreading to neighbouring homes just a few metres away, he said. Neighbour Paretai Rua said she rushed out of her home and saw two men trying to put the fire out with a garden hose. Titahi Bay and Porirua fire crews attend a house fire on Te Pene Avenue, Titahi Bay. - MATT DUNCAN/FAIRFAX NZ "I think they must have got burned themselves because they were hosing down their arms and legs as well." It only took about three minutes for the flames to spread from the kitchen to the rest of the house, she said. "It just went up so fast. It was really scary. I'm really thankful no one got seriously hurt." A fire spokesperson said one person was being treated for burns following the blaze. - MATT DUNCAN/FAIRFAX NZ The fire also caused nearby powerlines to come down. Members of the community pitched in to help keep people clear of the scene while fire fighters to get the flames, Rua said. Fellow neighbour Mamalia Makaelia said she also saw one of the men inside the house trying to douse the flames with a hose. When the fire service arrived, he relented and ran out of the house with a towel around his arm, she said. "He was hard-out in pain. You could see it on his face. As soon as the ambulance showed up he went straight towards it." A Wellington Free Ambulance spokeswoman said one person was treated for minor injuries. Earlier reports from the fire service were that two people had been injured. Malone said the cause of the fire was not yet known, but would be investigated. The hazardous materials unit was in the scene because of the possibility of asbestos in the house, he said. It is understood only one person was inside the house at the time of the fire. Stuff MICHAEL FORBES AND TOMMY LIVINGSTON

    • Scrub fire outside Aotea College in Porirua, school evacuated
      • Aotea College in Porirua was evacuated this morning after a fire broke out on a hillside next to the gymnasium. Porirua senior station officer Owen Woodman said the Fire Service received the call at 10.34 to attend, and two fire engines were sent out. "It was very close to the gym, the ground was dry, and when our personnel arrived the fire was developing rapidly," he said. Photographs of the scene show plumes of smoke billowing into the sky but, using a water-foam mixture, the eight firefighters brought the blaze under control quickly, Woodman said. The area the fire covered was about 1800 square metres. "It was important to get it under control because there was a chance it would threaten another school building [near the gym] and head up the hill rapidly." By 11.00 the fire was out. Woodman said it was "well-drowned" and no further dampening down or monitoring was needed. He would not speculate how it began, but said police would be talking to Aotea College staff and students. Principal Kate Gainsford said the school was evacuated for about 30 minutes and this went smoothly, as drills were practised regularly, "It was a grass fire but everyone was safe at all times." Gainsford would not confirm whether police would be involved, and whether the fire was started by an Aotea College student. She said the incident would be looked into. STUFF JOHN WEEKS

    • House fire in Porirua on Christmas day
      • Smoke billows from a Porirua house that was severely damaged after catching fire on the Mana Esplanade on Christmas afternoon. NICK TRUEBRIDGE/FAIRFAX NZ A Porirua home has been severely damaged during a Christmas Day house fire. The house caught fire about 1pm on Friday. Fire Service central communications shift manager Murray Dunbar said the house in Mana was well ablaze when fire fighters arrived. There were no reports of injuries and no indication anyone was home at the time. Four fire trucks attended the blaze from Plimmerton, Porirua, Johnsonville and Titahi Bay. Traffic on State Highway 1 was slightly delayed with fire trucks across the road. Dunbar would not say if the fire was suspicious. "It's going to be investigated. We'll determine that." By 3pm on Christmas afternoon, the fire was being damped down by firefighters. STUFF JESSY EDWARDS

    • Wellington trio to fly to Nepal to train medics
      • From left, Jess Anderson, Dan Klapaukh, and Ryan Bothma will put their medical training into practice in Nepal in November. KRIS DANDO/FAIRFAX NZ Two paramedic students and a local firefighter are heading to Nepal in November to help teach local medics how to respond when disaster hits. Jess Anderson, Dan Klapaukh, and Ryan Bothma will teach basic first aid, emergency medicine, and urban search and rescue to medics in the Ramechhap region. Klapaukh and Anderson are studying together at Whitireia in Porirua to become paramedics, and Bothma is a professional firefighter working in both Johnsonville and Porirua. The trio is going with Life Support Nepal, an organisation which focuses on training people rather than simply providing equipment. Anderson says they will be working at Tamakoshi Co-operative Hospital. "Tamakoshi is the only official set hospital for people to go to in the region, and has two ambulances to cover the whole area," she says. "Before that, people had to walk for about four days to get to an actual hospital, which is really sad." Ramechhap was one of Nepal's worst-affected areas following the earthquake, Anderson says. "I think 75 per cent of the region was affected. It is around 20 kilometres away from the epicentre of the 6.3." Many of the medics in Nepal are ill-equipped, she says. "Heaps of organisations have given money and equipment but nobody has been taught how to use it." The training Anderson and Klapaukh have had on the Whitireia course and guidance from Wellington Free Ambulance has prepared them for situations with limited resources, Anderson says. "They're really big here in Wellington on learning how to treat people without our fancy equipment so we'll be able to identify what we're looking for without needing machines to help us." One of the biggest downfalls in medical care in Nepal is dealing with mass casualty situations, she says. "[Medics] would often just go to the first person that they saw, but there's also 30 other people there that may need their help more desperately." Anderson says living in Christchurch when the earthquakes hit inspired her to take her skill set to Nepal. "I realised that a country like Nepal can't just bounce back like we have. They don't have the resources to do that." Klapaukh agrees, saying he feels a real sense of duty to be useful. "Growing up in Wellington, people often told me a big earthquake was going to hit any day, and then it hit in Christchurch – it was tough not being able to help those people out." Bothma, the firefighter, says he will be rebuilding classrooms as well as helping with basic first aid and disaster management. They will leave on November 14 and return on December 10. FUNDRAISING EFFORTS: *The group are screening Everest at Light House Cinema Pauatahanui on Sunday, October 11. Paekakariki Hill Rd, Pauatahanui, Porirua, 7.30pm, call XXXXXXXXXX for tickets, $20. *The trio has fundraised more than $1600 to help cover expenses on their Givealittle page, which can be found by searching 'emergency medicine in Nepal' on the website. MEGAN GATTEY

    • Fire engine enthusiast puts out emergency call to save his collection
      • Matt Silver has to find a new home for his collection of 20 historic engines, or they may all have to be sold. CAMERON BURNELL/ FAIRFAX NZ An enthusiast's dream to preserve and display about 20 historic fire engines looks like going up in smoke. Matt Silver has been working for almost 15 years to establish a fire museum in Wellington, but has been unable to turn his dream into reality. Now the old 1940s Car Giant warehouse in Petone, where he keeps the engines, is set for demolition, and he has to find somewhere else to store them while he continues to raise funds towards a permanent solution. "The only space available within my budget is in an open air compound in which the fire engines – some that are 50 years old – will deteriorate very quickly, and in the past have been vandalised by scrap metal thieves pinching thousands of dollars of irreplaceable parts and batteries," Silver said. "If there is a landlord out there who has an empty warehouse and can help, that would be great." But if he cannot find dry and secure storage in the next two or three weeks, he fears he will no longer be able to keep the collection, which he has funded on his own so far. The other option would be to turn to public fundraising. "There is an ideal [warehouse] available at a discounted rate of $5000 a month, where potentially 50 fire engines and a fire education centre could be housed. But that is still too much for me to pay out of my own pocket." The perfect solution would be for a council or the Fire Service to step up, he said. He had approached the Fire Service and regional councils to back a museum in the Wellington area, but without success. "It is the 150th anniversary of the Wellington Fire Service, and a fire museum in the Wellington region would be a fitting way to pay tribute to those who have served." Efforts were was made in 2007 to seek funding and support to turn the old Lower Hutt fire station in Waterloo Rd into a museum, he said. Eight years later, it sits empty and badly vandalised. A Fire Service spokesman confirmed Silver had approached it periodically about his idea of setting up a museum in Wellington. But it did not have the resources to fund a private project. NEIL RATLEY - Stuff

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