Electrical blaze destroys home

An electrical fire destroyed a garage where a family of eight lived and left them with only the clothes they were wearing.

The blaze ripped through the garage they called home at Taiharuru, 32km north east of Whangarei, on Wednesday when the family were in the city shopping about 10.30am.

The family were not at the coastal property when the Northern Advocate visited yesterday but a relative said the family, including six children, had moved into a nearby woolshed until a more permanent home could be organised.

A mass of charred remains littered the area. Buckled, bent and burnt freezers remained. A pile of burnt clothes sat beside what was once a double bed but was left a mass of coiled wire. In the corner of what was the kitchen a mass of blackened potatoes remain.

Jean Albert said her brother and his family had lived on the property for many years and at least two of his children had been born in the home.

She said the coastal block of land was owned by a number of family members and the building had been the main homestead.

"Everything they owned was in there. They only have the clothes they are standing in and the car they were driving," he said.

"He had taken the motors off the boats because of Cyclone Pam and they were in the back shed too."

The family had no insurance. Hearing about the tragedy, members of a church group from Hikurangi had visited the family on Thursday with food, clothes for the children, aged 3, 4, 6, 11, 15 and 17, and a barbecue.

"We were just overwhelmed by their help," said Mrs Albert.

They would be in a woolshed, just 100m from their home, that had power and water until they could rebuild.

Fire investigator Craig Bain said it appeared a multi-plug box had sparked the blaze.