Mozzie zapper suspected in blaze

RAZED: The remains of the house that was destroyed by fire early on Tuesday morning.

No cause has been officially declared for the fire that destroyed a house on the Karikari Peninsula in the early hours of Tuesday morning. It was not connected to electricity - but the family were blaming a 'mozzie zapper'.

David Manuel, whose home is just metres from the house that was razed, said he could not be absolutely sure about the cause, but he would not be using that type of insect repellent.

All five occupants had got out safely, he added, although his 75-year-old father had suffered minor burns to his head and back.

Three vehicles parked near the house were heat-damaged.

The alarm was raised at 1.13am, crews from Karikari, Rangiputa, Mangonui and Kaitaia responding. First on the scene was Kaitaia's chief fire officer, Colin Kitchen (who lives at nearby Whatuwhiwhi), Mr Manuel saying it was some 20 minutes later that the first appliance arrived.

Kaitaia's Senior Station Officer, Ross Beddows, said the house was some 500m off Maitai Bay Rd, the appliances negotiating a narrow gate with some difficulty then following a drive through pines and scrub to reach the house.

Had the wind not been blowing from the east, he said, the flames might well have reached the trees, in which case the blaze could have been "a major".

As it was he credited the Karikari Rural Fire Force with saving the second house, although Mr Manuel did not believe it had been at risk.

The Rangiputa crew's role as to ferry water from a nearby creek, while water was also taken from Mr Manuel's household tank. The plastic tank immediately adjacent to the burning house melted. Mr Beddows said the crews faced a hopeless task from the start, their only hope being to prevent the flames from spreading.

"The house was never going to be saved," he said.

"The roof had collapsed by the time we got there, but the only real danger was a number of gas bottle. They vented, as they are supposed to do, and no harm was done though."

Meanwhile, Mr Manuel said he wished to acknowledge the job Mr Kitchen had done.

"He was in his element," he said. "He really knows what he's doing, directing the firefighters and making sure everything that had to be done was done. He was fantastic."