Toddler not to blame for house fire, says father

A Tauranga man whose rented house was damaged by fire in Gate Pa last week denies it was his son who started the blaze.
Mavae Nimo said his 3-year-old son did not start the blaze that began in the back bedroom of the Faulkner St home, and spread to the garage next door.
The garage was extensively fire damaged and the rest of the house was badly smoke damaged.
Tauranga Fire Safety Officer Ken McKeagg said initial inquiries showed that the fire appeared to have been started in the back bedroom by a child playing with matches. Mr Nimo denies this.
"I don't think so. I've never used matches before, I don't like the smell. I don't think it's possible," he said.
Mr Nimo said he did have a lighter but kept it out of reach from his son. He said he didn't know how the fire started, but said it could have been electrical.
Mr Nimo, a pregnant Ofa Latu, and their young son Mavae, were in the lounge with Ofa's uncle Fate at 1.30pm on July 27 when Mr Nimo got up to get a glass of water and smelled and saw smoke.
He and Fate went to investigate and after discovering fire in a spare bedroom, attempted to put it out with a bucket and pot of water.
They threw the water against a wall and in a cupboard and emergency services were called.
Mr McKeagg said he "highly suspected" a child was to blame for the fire.
Material had caught fire in the bedroom and it appeared to be "accidental ignition," he said.
Mr McKeagg said the fire was a lesson to all parents to keep matches and lighters out of reach of children.
He said the fire damage would have been a lot worse in the home, had there been a plaster ceiling.
A soft board ceiling, which the house had, gives way quicker, and had allowed the fire to vent out, he said.
"If not, it could have been barreling down the hallway in two or three minutes."
Landlord Cheryl de Bruin said she was yet to be given an official report on what caused the fire, but understood that an electrical fault had been ruled out.
Whatever had happened had been "purely accidental," she said.
Her and her husband Rowland's insurance policy has been accepted, and they are helping the Nimo family source linen, a bassinet, and other household items for their new rented home, which is also in Gate Pa.
The family, who are uninsured, have also been given assistance by Work and Income New Zealand and the Salvation Army. They managed to salvage some things from the blaze but lost beds, clothes and other personal items.