Close call as pan burns out

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Residents at a house in Abbott Street in Te Hapara slept through a kitchen fire in their home on Saturday night.

Fire and Emergency NZ were called to the home at around 7.30am that morning.

“The people living there told us they had inadvertently left a pot of food on the stove before they went to bed on Saturday night,” a senior firefighter said.

“When they woke up the next morning they found the pot of burning food had burnt itself out.

“Apart from some damage to a switch by the Xpelair above the stove, there was no further fire damage.

“They were extremely lucky. The outcome could have been a lot worse,” he said.

“Fortunately the stove element had been left on low heat.”

The fire crew made sure the situation was safe.