Lucky save for burning marae

A fire in a Bay of Islands marae could easily have destroyed the building, according to a senior firefighter. Kaikohe chief fire officer Bill Hitchinson said the fire at Parawhenua Marae in Te Ahu Ahu Rd northwest of Kaikohe was reported about 7.25pm on Sunday. The problem started in the wharekai (kitchen) when a cooking fire used earlier in the evening re-ignited, singeing a beam and setting building paper in the roof alight. ``They put it out with buckets of water _ we finished it off.'' Although only minor damage was done ``it could have been serious''. ``They were pretty lucky. If they had gone home that building would have burned to the ground.'' Three Kaikohe fire crews and one from Okaihau attended the fire, he said. Parawhenua Marae representatives declined to comment on the fire. The Fire Service has long been encouraging Maori to invest in sprinkler systems to protect marae but the logistics of storing large quantities of water in non-reticulated areas has been an obstacle for some. Early yesterday morning Bay of Plenty firefighters using limited water supplies managed to save sacred carvings after a suspected arsonist set fire to a marae near Tauranga. The Ngati Pukenga iwi's Whetu O Terangi marae at Welcome Bay was burning fiercely by the time firefighters arrived about 2.45am. Senior Station officer Grant Taylor said there was no water available and firefighters had to run a shuttle service from a nearby river. ``It is one of those things operationally we are aware of that we have to do when we don't have water supplies.'' He said it was heartbreaking to see the wharenui (meeting house) burning and be restricted in what they could do to save it. ``We are very please because we managed to save the front of the wharenui with all the carvings which have got a lot of history.'' An emotional marae spokesman Rehua Smallman said yesterday it was a heartbreak to see the damage to the marae. ``The fire service have done a great job in terms of saving the front.'' He said the Whetu O Te Rangi marae was about 80 percent damaged. The carvings in the front had been restored about 15 years ago and would be used again. ``The people are totally devastated. There are no words which can express it.'' He said the damage to the marae went to the heart of the entire community. ``It is hugely devastating to the people.'' But however bad it was, it would also bring people together to restore the marae. Mr Taylor said the fire began on an outside wall where there was no electricity, no gas and no apparent reason for it. Fire safety investigators were investigating. He said by the time they arrived it was burning well. ``The inside of the meeting house had erupted and the flames were at the windows and doors.'' He said the lack of water had been a problem.