Hawke’s Bay building fires more than quadruple over month period, linked to unattended cooking

From July 28 to August 28 Fenz recorded 28 building fires in its Hawke’s Bay District, which extends from Wairoa to Eketahuna. Photo / Supplied

Unattended cooking is the leading cause of building fires which have more than quadrupled in Hawke’s Bay and Tararua compared with the same month last year.

From July 28 to August 28 Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) recorded 28 building fires in its Hawke’s Bay District, which extends from Wairoa to Eketahuna, almost one a day.

A number of these fires have involved significant damage to houses and injuries in some cases, taking place in Hastings, Waipukurau, Napier and near Dannevirke.

Jess Nesbit, FENZ senior advisor for community readiness and recovery, said this was a huge spike compared to six building fires over the same period last year.

“For us, it is quite concerning to see.

“The leading cause of fires in the district is still unattended cooking with six that have been unattended cooking.”

Firefighters were called to a flat fire on Gaisford Terrace Waipukurau on August 22. Photo/ Rachel Wise

She said investigations to determine a cause were still ongoing for five out of the 28 fires as of Wednesday.

“More than one in four house fires start in the kitchen, so make sure you switch off the stove before walking off,” she said.

“Unattended cooking can be anything from walking away from cooking to forgetting you’ve got cooking and going to sleep or going out, those sorts of things.”

She said other causes included electrical faults and combustible materials being too close to a heat source.

She said people can find advice on the FENZ website or make a house escape plan for a fire online.

A house was heavily damaged after a fire in Napier on August 23. Photo / Warren Buckland

“Having a smoke alarm is essential for an early warning in a fire and having a smoke alarm in every bedroom, living room and hallway is what we recommend. Ensuring people test them so they know the smoke alarm is going to work.”

She said smoke alarms, an escape plan and a safe meeting place were the three most important things to have in the event of a house fire, which could be fully involved in three minutes.

She said early detection could save both property and lives.

James Pocock joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2021 and writes breaking news and features, with a focus on environment, local government and post-cyclone issues in the region. He has a keen interest in finding the bigger picture in research and making it more accessible to audiences. He lives in Napier. james.pocock@nzme.co.nz