Frightening car fire prompts warning

The inside of the Toyota Previa which was involved in a fire outside Pak'nSave on January 15. Photo/Dale Wicken

Four serious incidents within 10 days involving children playing with matches has prompted the New Zealand Fire Service to issue a warning to parents to keep them out of sight.

The fire service said young children had "narrowly escaped death" after starting fires using matches or lighters which resulted in two cars and two houses going up in flames.

"This is a very bad start to 2014. We would urge all parents to carefully go through their homes and their vehicles to make sure all matches and lighters, including barbecue lighters, are removed and stored safely out of the reach of children," national manager of fire investigation Peter Wilding said.

On January 15, three young children were rescued from a burning van outside the Unichem chemist next to Pak'nSave. The children had discovered matches while their mother was inside the shop and the car had gone up in flames. Tamzyn Duckmanton who was nearby at the time, rushed to save the three-year-old and one-month-old baby.

Then recently, two young children had set fire to their car while waiting for their mum who was inside an Ohakune supermarket. Black smoke and tinted windows meant rescuers were not aware of the children until they started screaming.

Another incident, which destroyed an Onehunga home, involved a young boy playing with a lighter while the final incident which also gutted a home, had been another young boy playing with a lighter under his bed.

"A significant number of serious fires are caused each year by children playing with matches and lighters and they are entirely preventable. We urge the public to make sure they keep their lighters and matches well out of the reach of any children," Mr Wildingsaid.

The Fire Service also provides an effective intervention service for children displaying unusual or worrying fire-related behaviour. Details on this programme are at www.fire.org.nz/FAIP.