'Brave' man thanked by fire victim's family

The family of a fire victim has reached out to the man who attempted to save his life.

The niece of a Northland man who died in a fatal blaze has reached out to the man who attempted to save her uncle's life to say thank you.

Invercargill man Andrew Gowers, who was in Ruakaka on Thursday for a farming sales conference, was staying at the Bream Bay Motel the same morning a fatal fire claimed the life of 79-year-old Noel Hendry.

Mr Gowers was woken by the sound of crackling at about 4.30am and after calling emergency services to raise the alarm he ran straight to the home on Bream Bay Drive to try and rouse whoever was inside.

"I ran around and tried to bang on the door to see if anyone lived there, I went to the neighbours and banged on their door and asked if anyone lived there and then I went back and had another go but there was too much heat," he told the Northern Advocate at the time.

After Mr Hendry's niece, Julie Hendry, from the UK, saw the article about the fire she wrote a letter to the Advocate to thank Mr Gowers.

"I was very touched to read the article about him trying to enter the house even though it was fully alight and I think it takes a very brave man to even think about doing that," she said "Although I had not seen my uncle for many years I know he will be sadly missed by all of us here in the UK as he was one of seven children and has a very large extended family who were all shocked by the news."

But Mr Gowers said he did not think twice about heading over to try and help.

"I'd like to think anybody would do the same thing. I don't think I was brave," he said.

Mr Gowers said everything that happened on the morning of the fire had finally sunk in. He said once he arrived back in Invercargill he checked the batteries in his smoke alarms.

"I find it comforting the fact the fire guys told us we made the right call by not going in. We had that front sliding door open and we were on our hands and knees at the door but made the call not to go in it was just so hot. The fire investigator said if I had gone in they'd be looking for two bodies not one," he said.