Hamish McGrannachan was heading to work in an Uber when he got the call that his family’s home was on fire.
“We ended [up] following one of the fire trucks ... to our property. All I could do was stand back and watch our home burn.”
Friends and strangers have rallied around McGrannachan, his wife Sophie McGrannachan and their sons, aged 1 and 3, following Friday’s blaze in their Barbara Grove home.
The couple, both in their 30s, had owned the home for two years.
The extent of the damage was still being assessed by their insurer, but they were just grateful no one was hurt, including their dog, Maggie.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand’s investigation found it was an “accidental electrical fire”. The house had professionally installed smoke alarms.
The alarm was raised about 8am and firefighters spent about three-and-a-half hours at the scene.
Hamish McGrannachan said he and his father-in-law, who wished only to be known as Mike, had dropped the toddlers at daycare before he was picked up to head to work in Tauranga City.
Mike was going to drop the boys’ car seats off to his daughter’s home, but opened their front door to be met with a wall of black smoke and the smoke alarm blaring.
“[He] realised it was too dangerous to go inside,” McGrannachan said.
“Mike phoned 111 and then called me and made sure our dog, Maggie, who was outside, was safe.”
McGrannachan had the Uber driver turn around and head home.
Sophie McGrannachan said she was at work in Tauranga when her husband phoned about 8.30am, and she realised she’d missed several messages from him.
“When Hamish told me our house was on fire, I really didn’t realise the extent of damage I would be coming home to, and was shocked by what I saw.”
The couple believed the fire started in the kitchen scullery.
They had not been able to re-enter the house for safety reasons, but understood the fire damage was mainly in the front of the home, plus a lot of smoke and water damage throughout.
Sophie McGrannachan said the losses were devastating, including treasured belongings such as the wooden couch her husband had spent “many, many hours” making that was in the front of the home.
“But we are focused on being so, so thankful that no one was hurt and our two sons and our beloved Aussie-doddle [Australian Shepherd-Poodle mix] Maggie are all safe.
“And we feel blessed and blown away by the generosity, kindness, love and amazing support we’ve received from our community, including some people we don’t even know.
“It’s quite overwhelming and humbling.”
Sophie McGrannachan said people had not only made cash donations but generously offered babysitting and places to stay.
A family friend offered them a home for a week, and a community member offered their rental in the same street for six weeks.
“We feel so much relief that our boys will have a stable place stay for the period and that gives us a bit more time to decide what our next moves are.”
Sophie McGrannachan said she and her husband wanted to say a huge thanks to the firefighters who responded “quickly and so bravely”.
“They also showed us so much empathy and did all they could to limit the damage.”
Hamish McGrannachan said there was nothing they could do but watch the firefighters desperately trying to save their home and it was a “pretty tough Friday”.
“It appears it’s going to be [a] long, hard journey ahead of us and a bit of an adventure,” he said.
Friend Maddy Rollo from Maketū started a Givealittle page for the couple to help them to “get back on their feet”.
It had raised more than $18,000 by Wednesday morning.
Rollo said she was shocked and her heart was “racing” when Sophie McGrannachan, who she had known almost 20 years, messaged her.
”It is unbelievable that this could happen to two of the kindest and most generous people I know. Sophie and Hamish are always the first to help others in need.
“They have experienced a heart-breaking loss and while they were insured, some losses can’t be replaced.
“Any donations, no matter how small, will make a real difference as they rebuild their lives.”
Sandra Conchie is a senior journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post who has been a journalist for 24 years. She mainly covers police, court and other justice stories, as well as general news. She has been a Canon Media Awards regional/community reporter of the year.