Gisborne flat forced open in cooking fire close call

Police had to force their way into a smoke-filled flat above the TAB in Peel St early Sunday morning to rescue a man, after food on the stove overheated. The man was asleep inside. Photo / Murray Robertson

Police had to force entry into a smoke-filled flat above the TAB on Gisborne’s Peel St early on Sunday morning to rescue a man who was asleep inside.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand sent two appliances to the premises at around 2am.

“We were called out to a smoke-logged premises,” a senior firefighter said.

“When we got there police were there already, and they had got inside the flat.”

He said the occupants of the neighbouring flat had dialled 111 after alarms had woken them.

“They went to their neighbour’s door and could smell smoke coming out from around the door,” the senior firefighter said.

“They tried to force it, but couldn’t do it.

“They told us police arrived shortly after and were able to get the door open.”

The fire crews found a man inside, asleep in his lounge adjacent to the kitchen, where the food he was cooking had overheated.

“He had dozed off while he was doing it, and the apartment was filled with thick, dense smoke.”

The man was able to walk out of the apartment with the police after they had roused him.

“He was pretty lucky.

“The building alarms had not woken him up,” the senior firefighter said.

So the intervention of the neighbours and police was timely."

Firefighters ventilated the flat to remove the smoke, and the windows were still open on Sunday afternoon. Photo / Murray Robertson

He said there was no fire damage, just smoke damage.

The fire crews ventilated the flat to remove the smoke. The windows were still open on Sunday afternoon.

Hato Hone St John was also called, but the man did not need to go to the hospital.

“This incident again illustrates the need to keep looking while you are cooking.”