A controlled burn done by Fire & Emergency NZ for television illustrates just how quickly a home can take light. – FIRE AND EMERGENCY NZ

You’ve heard the urban myths about domestic appliances bursting into flames and consuming their owner’s houses – but a quick look at the facts shows that the real culprit is likely to be the humans who use them.

Statistics from Fire & Emergency NZ show that in the last five years, 294 fires were caused by “failures to clean” (for example, forgetting to clean the lint out for your dryer), 284 fires were caused by people putting “combustible” things too close to the heater, and 258 were from the careless disposal of cigarettes, embers or ash. Unattended cooking still reigned supreme however, coming in at 893 occurrences.

We’re tired when we get home from work, we’re desperate to get warm, we get bored or distracted – we’re only human. It’s easy for the sensible precautions to go in the “too hard” basket.

If the principal advisor of fire risk management for the Auckland region, Mike Shaw, could drive any message home about fire safety and appliances, it would be simply to always read the instructions.

Here’s a common sense rundown for home appliances that Fire & Emergency NZ would like us to keep in mind.

DRYERS

It’s been said before and we’ll say it again – don’t leave your dryer running when you go out. – JANE USSHER/NZ HOUSE & GARDEN

It’s simple – remove the lint from the dryer after every use, make sure the dryer is well ventilated and don’t turn it on and then go out.

Static electricity and build up of heat can cause dust, lint and chemical residue on clothing to catch fire.

If you’re a regular user of hair or massage oil, your towels can pose a particular fire risk.

“Over time the oils become impregnated into the fabric,” said Shaw. It doesn’t take much for these to catch light, especially if your dryer doesn’t have an automatic-off switch.

DISHWASHERS

Stacking your dishwasher correctly really is an art – and an important safety measure.

A dishwasher bursting into flames seems like an oxymoron, but what this is most often caused by is poor stacking.

“If you load a small plastic lid into a large slot and it falls through the cage onto a heater element during the drying cycle, it will catch fire,” said Shaw.

MICROWAVES

When you are planning a kitchen, leave space around your microwave. – RESENE

The biggest problem with microwave fires, other than improper things being put inside (we all know cutlery is a no-no) is smothering the extractor fans.

“You need an area around the device,” said Shaw.

So if you’re building a new kitchen and intend on including a microwave, make sure to factor in enough space around it. In an existing kitchen, though tempting, don’t try to make it look cute by stacking with cookbooks or knick-knacks, it could be your undoing.

TOASTERS

Toasters put out a lot of heat so if you store it in an enclosed area, pull it out into the open before use. – JACKIE MEIRING/NZ HOUSE & GARDEN

Obviously due to the nature of a toaster, there’s going to be a lot of hot air coming out the top. Don’t run your toaster inside a cupboard or underneath a shelf or bench.

Amelia Macandrew, Customer Relations Manager, AA Insurance, recommends playing it safe and keep your toaster turned off at the wall when you’re not using it.

“Turn off all non-essential electrical appliances at the wall before you go to bed or work,” she said.

DVD PLAYERS, SKY-BOXES AND GAME CONSOLES

Televisions and DVD players need room to ventilate so don’t stack things on them. – RESENE

Consider this just one more reason why playing Xbox all night is a bad idea. Extended use causes devices like this to heat up.

“Things like DVDplayers and sky-boxes have vents which shouldn’t be covered,” said Shaw.

Apply the microwave principles above and go to bed for goodness’ sake.

HAIR STRAIGHTENERS

Hair dryers are quite a common cause of domestic fires.

A “very common” source of domestic fires is hair straighteners being accidentally left on and put down on a soft surface like carpet, a couch or a bed, said Shaw.

Make a habit of unplugging it from the wall when you’re done.

SLOW COOKERS AND OVENS

Slow cookers are handy and make delicious food, just make sure to use it correctly. – MARION VAN DIJK/STUFF

Shaw is a fan of slow cookers like many of us and said dangers with such a device will relate to how it is used. It’s fine to set and forget your slow cooker, but make sure that it is set up on a clear bench and not sitting on its own cord.

However tempting, it is not recommended that ovens are left on while you pop to the shops.

OIL COLUMN HEATERS AND ELECTRIC BLANKETS

Even if you have a thermostat, it’s not recommended that you leave your heater on when you’re asleep or out. – iSTOCK

Whilst perhaps the safest of heaters, Shaw does not recommend leaving your oil column heater on overnight or when you’re out, even if it has a thermostat.

When you are using it or any heating device, stick to the “heater-metre rule”.

“Keep furniture, clothing, curtains and toys a metre away from heaters and fireplaces,” said Macandrew. “[And] always turn off your electric blanket before getting into bed.”

PHONE AND COMPUTER CHARGERS

Charging devices need space to breathe. – 123RF

Phone chargers causing fires is another one that’s on us apparently. “It’s misuse,” said Shaw. “Anything that’s charging a battery gets warm.”

Leave your phone on a hard surface like a table when charging, and without anything on top of it. Do not put it in your bed or under your pillow.

“Think of a power cord like a hose with water going through,” said Shaw. “Don’t put, for example, a table leg on a computer power cord, it can cause a heat build up.”

MULTI-BOARDS

Similarly, Shaw recommended being wary of plugging too many things into multi boards, or buying cheap versions that don’t have a surge switch. Macandrew agreed.

“During winter when a greater number of heating appliances are used, we recommend Kiwis take care not to overload or smother multi-boards and sockets to avoid overheating,” said Macandrew.

“Don’t overload multi-boards and always untangle appliance cords to make sure there’s no fraying.”

– Homed

An investigation has been  launched into the cause of a late-night blaze that burnt-down a derelict part of a Porirua shopping centre.

A fire investigator and a police photographer were going through the charred remains of the derelict commercial property tucked among shops along Mentor Lane at Cannons Creek on Monday.

It took about 40 firefighters from 11 fire appliances to quell the blaze, which grew higher than a lamppost at one point, at about 11pm the previous night.

More than 40 firefighters tackled a blaze in Porirua overnight. – STEVEN BIDDLE

Paul Wahid, who runs a nearby SuperValu store, said he understood the building used to be a bar but it had been closed for years.

Kids used to climb onto the buildings and get inside, he said. “There’s a lot of kids, young kids, out on the roof all the time.”

Police and a fire investigator were at the scene on Monday morning – JARED NICOLL

The fire had caused a power outage, which was still affecting the shops into the next day.

“It’s costing all of us big time. All the freezers [are off].”

His colleague, Jackson Singh, said he was working in the store that night when the blaze started at the front of the building nearby and smoke filled the sky “big time”.

A large fire burned out a derelict building at the Cannons Creek Shopping Centre in Porirua on the night of March 25 – JARED NICOLL

The flames were “higher than the [street] lights”.

“One of the other boys, he ran in back in there, and he couldn’t speak; he was just making these funny faces, and I said, ‘calm down, calm down’.”

Fire and Emergency New Zealand assistant area commander for Wellington David Campbell said his officers’ top priority was to stop the blaze spreading to other shops.

The front of the burnt out former business. – JARED NICOLL 

“It was burning very well by the time crews got there and had spread to an adjoining building.”

Firefighters were faced with an indoor battle, full of machinery and debris.

“The structure was collapsing so I couldn’t send anyone inside … it was all [done] from the outside; surround and drown.”

He understood the owner of the derelict building previously tried to start it up as a bar..

A fire investigator was up there on Monday, “having a rummage through the remains to locate a cause”.

“It’s probably been started by someone. It’s probably a crime scene.”

 – Stuff

The blaze caused “extensive damage” to the block on Mentor Lane, which sits behind the main Cannons Creek shops late on Sunday evening.

More than 40 firefighters tackled a blaze in Porirua overnight. – STEVEN BEDDIE

Fire and Emergency New Zealand was alerted to the fire shortly after 11pm Sunday.

More than 40 firefighters were greeted by a building which was well-involved in fire, according to shift manager Jan Wills.

One fire truck was still being used to dampen down hot spots on Monday morning.

Wills would not be drawn on whether the blaze was suspicious, but confirmed a fire investigator would be at the scene on Monday.

 – Stuff

No-one was injured in a kitchen fire at a home along Mungavin Ave in Porirua. – SIMON MAUDE/STUFF

Unattended cooking could be responsible for a fire that “burnt out” a second-storey housing unit in Porirua.

Fire and Emergency Services NZ were called to what started as a kitchen fire in a two-storey block of four, understood to belong to Housing NZ, along Mungavin Ave in Cannons Creek about 8am on Friday.

Senior station officer Trevor Sheehan, of Porirua, said the “straight-forward” job meant his team had things under control within an hour.

Working smoke alarms alerted the occupants to get outside, meaning no-one was injured.

Although the cause of the fire was still undetermined, initial thoughts were that it started in the kitchen, possibly because of unattended cooking.

Part of the street was blocked off while four fire trucks and a command unit brought the blaze under control, which took about 45 minutes plus another 2.5 hours to dampen.

The neighbouring units suffered smoke and heat damage.

STUFF –  JARED NICOLL

The man stood in borrowed shoes and yesterday’s clothes, and the woman sat wrapped in a blanket, crying, in a people-mover.

About 100 metres away, close enough to catch the faint whiff of smoke still pouring out of it, was their home.

A Paekākāriki house is ravaged by flames.

Whatever else they lost, the couple and their three-year-old daughter were still alive after facing a wall of smoke and flames in the darkness. It was hard to tell whether they should be devastated or relieved. They were both

The  couple who lost everything on Wednesday morning in the  Paekākāriki house fire have spoken about running through  a maze of smoke and flames, and carrying their child to safety, on the Kāpiti Coast north of Wellington.

The aftermath of the house fire in Paekākāriki. with one of the homeowners being comforted in the foreground. – John Maxwell/Stuff

The woman, who did not wish to be named, spoke wrapped in a blanket, only a few hours after the fire in their two-storey, rimu weatherboard home on Wellington Rd at about 5am.

She said she “just heard something strange” that woke her from her sleep in a bedroom on the top storey of the house.

The woman looked out the front bedroom window and there were flames running up from the porch below.

Firefighters attempt to put out the fire at a Paekākāriki house.

She yelled out “fire” to her partner and grabbed their daughter.

“Then you opened the lounge door but you couldn’t get through the lounge, so we tried to go the kitchen but you couldn’t get through the kitchen so we went out the back door.  By the time we were on the second level, the top was already alight,” she said.

The rimu weatherboard home, built in the early 1900s, destroyed by fire in Paekākāriki. – John Maxwell/Stuff

Her partner stood nearby on the Beach Rd footpath, away from a tangle of fire hoses and fire service trucks dampening the smouldering remains,

The man said he felt sick. “It hasn’t really hit home yet either. I know I’m going to be numb for a long time.”

He said he helped get everyone outside and then tried to fight the flames with a garden house, but it was pointless.

Firefighters dampen the remains of the house fire in Paekākāriki. – John Maxwell/Stuff

Then the man saw the flames fanning out towards the wooden house next door, of a similar age, and he ran and pounded on their door.

“I said ‘you guys have got to get out, it’s heading your way’.”

He had never seen anything like the flames that engulfed his home.

“They were pushing me back. The garden hose: totally pointless. The heat from that fire was the most intense I’ve ever seen. It had a life of its own, it was a beast. I lost hope.”

They had lived in the house for about 12 years, and were close to completing an ongoing renovation.

“That’s one thing that hurts the most, it’s such a piece of history, and we’d just finished [renovating] the front room, as the final room.”

His mother and sister had arrived from Wainuiomata, bringing a pair of shoes for him so he at least had something to put on his feet.

“He’s wearing his brother-in-law’s shoes,” his mother said.

The man’s mother hugged him, crying. “Thank God you you all got out. I just thank God that everybody got out.”

The house was insured but not the contents, the man said. They did not know what caused the fire, but they had lost everything they owned.

The Paekākāriki village community was already rallying to help the family on Wednesday morning.

Kāpiti Coast deputy mayor Janet Holborow said the village would do anything it could to help the family, and they were shocked at the loss of the iconic weatherboard home.

“The family is devastated, they walked out with just the clothes they were wearing.”

She said a Givealittle page had already been set up and could be found by searching Paekakariki House Fire.

Emergency services were called just after 5am.

Volunteer firefighters from Paekākāriki Fire Station located just off Wellington Rd were the first on the scene  just after 5am and nine fire trucks from across the region attended.

Fire investigators  were on their way to the scene. It was unclear if the house had smoke alarms.

 – Stuff

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.

“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

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

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