A young Whangarei couple say their decision to stay at a family member's house the night their home and all their possessions were destroyed in a suspicious fire may have saved them and their young daughter.
The 22-year-old man and 20-year-old woman, who did not want to be named, planned to stay at a family member's house in a street nearby, but after an early Wednesday morning of chaos in Smeaton Drive they were close to returning to their home. However, hours after making the decision to stay with relatives, their home was torched and all their possessions destroyed.
"I wanted to go home and my partner wanted to go home too, but I sat there (in the relative's home) and said 'no we'll stay'," the man said.
This last minute change of heart may have saved the couple and their 2-year-old daughter. The fire, which is being treated as suspicious, followed a number of disorder incidents that occurred that night where the couple were attacked by people leaving a nearby party. The couple said a party in a nearby house had spilled onto the street and as some males from the party were allegedly attacking their girlfriends the man tried to intervene and he and his partner were both attacked.
"I was scared, I was scared for my partner" the man said.
Detective Senior Sergeant Dene Begbie said the fire may be linked to a number of disorder incidents in the area earlier that night and no arrests had been made in relation to the blaze as of late yesterday.
Police said about 12.45am on Wednesday they responded to reports of people fighting outside an address in Tauroa St. When they arrived they arrested two women, aged 19 years-old, who were both charged with fighting in a public place, taken back to Whangarei Police Station and given a written warning. Following that incident police were called on two more occasions and said each time people in the street dispersed and everything calmed down.
The couple said after the fights they wanted to go home, but now they're both glad they didn't.
"Next minute we get a text saying our house was on fire and we look outside and there was smoke in the air and that was our house."
Terry Baylis, a specialist fire investigator said their house was now unsafe.
The couple had lived there for about two to three years and said they lost everything in the flames.
"We lost all of my baby's stuff, all her toys," she said "There was a lot of stuff of my baby's we lost, things that were given to her, we've lost all her baby photos."
The couple said the fire has caused them a lot of stress.
"We're staying with whanau and we're trying to get over the fact our whole house has burnt. We had no insurance, we don't get enough money to have insurance.
"I'm on the benefit my partner works part time, she only works two days a week. Insurance-wise we can't really afford anything"