The remains of a Raleigh St home after a fire swept through it on Tuesday morning. Photo / Jack Riddell
The remains of a Raleigh St home after a fire swept through it on Tuesday morning. Photo / Jack Riddell
A sleeping Hastings family escaped an early morning house fire that swept through their home after being woken by their “agitated” dog.
Four people were taken to Hawke’s Bay Hospital as a precaution after the 15-by-15 metre blaze on Raleigh St, Flaxmere, just after 1am on Tuesday.
Senior station officerJoel Fraser said the dog’s unusual behaviour warned the family of the danger, and they were able to escape and take shelter at a neighbour’s house before emergency services arrived.
“The occupants were all asleep in bed, and their family pet was the first to realise something was wrong and was acting quite agitated and woke up the parents.”
He said the family had told them their dog, which usually slept at the end of the bed, kept getting up and down and was walking around.
Fraser said he had not come across a situation like this before and recommended that homes have working smoke alarms in every bedroom, hallway, and lounge or living area.
“In this case, the family were really lucky that their dog picked this up, but working smoke alarms are really key in staying fire-wise.”
A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesman said the fire was well ablaze when crews arrived at the scene.
One person at the scene appeared to have received an injury as a result of broken glass, he said.
The spokesman said the cause of the fire was not yet known, but a fire investigator was heading to the scene.
