Herekino home destroyed by fire but marae saved

The fire broke out at Ōwhata, on the shore of the remote Herekino Harbour. Photo / Peter de Graaf

A Far North family have been forced to move into a marae after their home was destroyed in a ferocious blaze.

The fire, which started around 6am on February 2, not only razed their house, a car and a sleepout, it also spread into 2ha of trees and long grass and threatened Ōwhata Marae, next to the remote Herekino Harbour and about 20km south of Ahipara.

Ahipara fire chief Dave Ross said it was clear even before the brigade arrived it was more than a house fire.

''We could see it had spread to nearby vegetation and was being fanned by 15km/h winds. It was moving quite quickly towards the marae.''

While the Ahipara brigade tackled the house, the Kaitaia crew stopped the flames reaching the marae.

They were backed up by Houhora and Broadwood brigades and a Skywork helicopter with an under-body water tank.

By 11am, the blaze was fully extinguished. Two adults and a number of children in the house got out safely.

The fire was discovered by a man staying in the sleepout who went to investigate when he heard noises and saw light he initially thought was a car.

He grabbed the children and got them to safety, then rushed to the marae to raise the alarm, Ross said.

Ōwhata has no cellphone coverage and the marae has the settlement's only landline.

''The house couldn't be saved but we did manage to stop the fire before it reached the marae. If the wind had been any stronger it would have been quite different,'' he said.

The family were staying temporarily at the marae.

In October last year an arsonist led locals, police and firefighters on a night-long foot chase around Ōwhata as he lit a series of fires near a home, in roadside vegetation, in pine trees and farmland.

Police have confirmed, however, this week's fire was not suspicious.

Fire investigator Craig Bain said it appeared the fire had been started by leaking gas ignited by a pilot light.

It was not clear if the leak came from a gas cooker or a califont. The off-grid house was set up with solar power and gas instead of mains power.

Bain urged anyone using gas to make sure tanks were properly connected.

''And if you smell gas, shut off the cylinders and get them checked to find out where it's coming from.''

The house was not connected to mains power but did have a solar power system with battery storage.

In relation to last year's fires at Ōwhata, a 43-year-old man was arrested and charged with four counts of arson and one of attempted arson. He was also charged with multiple family violence and dishonesty offences.