Fires cause bad damage

Fires have been causing havoc in Hawke's Bay.

Two houses and a village centre have been badly damaged in three fires in Hawke's Bay less than two days apart.

The first was at a house in Westshore on Friday afternoon, the second in a Hastings house about 24 hours later, and the third in a pavilion at Frasertown in northern Hawke's Bay on Saturday night.

Residents helped to subdue a fire which raged in the kitchen of a house on Sussex St, Hastings, and which was reported just before 3pm on Saturday.

Hastings Fire Station senior station officer Mike Peachey said a stove had caused a rangehood to heat up, and fire spread into the kitchen wall.

Fortunately, neighbours kept the fire at bay with garden hoses and it was well contained when fire crews arrived.

A Sussex St resident, who wanted to remain anonymous, described seeing "fire engines everywhere" in the quiet residential road. He said the owner of the house had been burgled just two days before.

A Napier couple and their grandchildren lost most of their possessions in another house fire the previous day, in Charles St, Westshore. Fire Service Napier station officer Peter Draper said the family escaped unharmed, but the house was extensively damaged.

The fire was reported at 1.40pm on Friday and its cause was not clear yesterday, but it was possibly due to an electrical malfunction. Mr Draper said the family was in "a lot of shock" and received help from Victim Support after the blaze.

The Frasertown fire was reported at 9.46pm on Saturday. Wairoa Volunteer Fire Brigade chief fire officer Grant Duley said the Humphries St building was "well alight" when the brigade arrived. It was likely to have been caused by a switchboard fault.