By QUENTIN CLARKSON
TOKOROA - A candle is being blamed for sparking at least one of two fires in Tokoroa at the weekend.
A house in the central North Island town was badly damaged about 8 pm on Saturday and two garages and a sleepout were gutted around 4 am yesterday.
Two appliances and 10 volunteer firefighters, with crews from Tauranga and Rotorua, attended each blaze.
Tokoroa deputy chief fire officer Ian Wellings said the fires were accidental and no one had been injured.
Three children aged under 10 in the single-storey house fled after it was set alight by a candle
on Saturday night, he said.
One room of the three-bedroom home was gutted and the others were damaged by smoke. The house was insured.
Mr Wellings said the home owners were at a neighbour's house at the time.
The Bay/Waikato fire region volunteer support officer, Todd O'Donoghue, said the sleepout fire could have been caused by a candle or a faulty heater. The heater had been sent for testing, which would take two weeks.
A woman in the sleepout was evacuated during the blaze, which quickly spread to two adjoining garages, he said.
Tokoroa chief fire officer Brian Westbrooke said the fires were a timely reminder that candles could be dangerous.
"When in use they should be in a suitable holder, well away from flammable objects, and never left unattended or still burning while someone sleeps."
Young children escape blaze started by candle
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