Pair hailed as heroes

By Peter de Graaf and Mike Barrington
Two men who burst into a burning room in a bid to save the lives of two young boys are being hailed as heroes.
Five-year-old Jacob Colcord died in the Kauika Rd, Whangarei, fire on Friday morning, but his 3-year-old brother Alex was saved.
It is understood the boys' stepfather, Carlos, and a flatmate living in the weatherboard villa burst into the boys' blazing bedroom around 8.45am. Burning their hands on the door handle and battling thick smoke and flames, they pulled the boys out and carried them outside to the porch.
It was too late for Jacob, but they were able to revive his younger brother.
When firefighters arrived at the central Whangarei home just minutes later, the heat from the boys' bedroom was already so intense they were forced to pull back. They had to break an outside window and pump water in before they could get close to the room.
Alex was taken to Whangarei Hospital in a critical condition, suffering from smoke inhalation and burns to 20 per cent of his body. He was later airlifted to Starship Hospital in Auckland, then transferred to the specialist burns unit at Middlemore Hospital.
Alex underwent surgery yesterday afternoon, when his condition was described as seriously ill.
Carlos and the boys' mother, Emily Colcord, were taken to Whangarei Hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation.
Fire investigators believe the blaze was caused by the children playing with matches.
Whangarei chief fire officer Allan Kerrisk said the men faced a terrible decision - by trying to rescue the boys, they had put themselves in real danger.
"We ask people to err on the side of caution, so they don't become victims themselves ... But people have to make a snap decision, and I defy anyone to tell me what the right decision is in those circumstances.
"It was an awfully brave thing to do, to go in and pull the kiddies out. As a result one of the boys is now recovering, and that's awesome," Mr Kerrisk said.
Northland fire commander Trevor Andrews said the men had saved a life, and that made them heroes.
In the wake of the fatal blaze - the region's second in just 10 days, with 92-year-old Winifred Coxshall killed in a Far North fire on June 11 - the Fire Service was reviewing all its prevention and intervention programmes in Northland.
Among the changes to come out of Friday's fatal fire, Mr Andrews said he would boost the Fire Awareness and Intervention Programme with a dedicated, fulltime fire safety officer (see story, right).
Under the programme, firefighters visit children who have been playing with matches, using shock tactics when necessary to drum home the dangers.
"Someone's lost a son in this fire, and our hearts go out to them ... They will be devastated, and we understand that - but we also want to share the lessons from this."
Mr Kerrisk urged any parents, teachers or whanau members who thought a child was playing with fire to call the Fire Service for help. The firefighters involved were specially trained and enthusiastic, because they saw how children changed after going through the course.
Among those who witnessed Friday's fire was 26-year-old Jenna Sherwood, who saw the smoke on her way to work on Maunu Rd.
Her mother, Toni Sherwood, said Jenna ran up the drive to the blazing house and found the two boys had been brought out to the porch, where efforts were being made to revive them.
The older boy had died and the sight was deeply distressing.
"She just cries when asked about it. She's in a state of shock," Mrs Sherwood said.