Vae Kalolo's 10-year-old son Anthony had been nagging him for some time to install smoke alarms, but the Grey Lynn man wanted to wait until he had finished painting the house.
Yesterday morning that delay nearly cost Mr Kalolo and his family their lives.
Mr Kalolo said he was woken
about 6.30am by his son, who came into the bedroom complaining of a funny smell. "He said, 'Mum, Dad, you have got to get up'."
The lights did not work so Mr Kalolo negotiated his way to the back door in darkness, still not sure what was happening.
It was only when he opened the door and saw firefighters in the driveway and smoke billowing from the roof that he realised his home was on fire.
"I asked a fireman for a torch. He asked me why and I said, 'Because my wife and two kids are still inside'."
Firefighters, who had been called by a passing motorist who saw smoke, rescued Mr Kalolo's wife, Joanne, Anthony and their 9-month-old son Dylan.
Both children were taken to the Starship hospital, where Anthony was treated for smoke inhalation.
Mr Kalolo said he realised how lucky his family were to have survived the fire and he was full of praise for the way his son reacted.
"I think he was awesome. He didn't panic at all.
"We always taught him not to panic if things went wrong, just to stay calm, and that's what he did."
Mr Kalolo said Anthony had learned about fire safety at school and the family had discussed the topic with him at home. He had also practised an escape route and was the one who kept pestering Mr Kalolo to install smoke alarms.
Fire Safety Officer Fred Oates said it was not yet known what caused the fire but arson and an electrical fault had been ruled out.
