Dunedin fire tragedy: Mum risks life to save dog as home destroyed

The owner of a much-loved family dog ran back into a house engulfed in flames in a desperate attempt to save her “best little buddy”.

Grace Curwood and her seven children lost almost everything after a fire broke out at their Dunedin home on January 25.

Sumo was just 14 months old. Photo / Supplied

Curwood had been at the movie theatre with two of her children when a neighbour alerted her to the blaze.

She rushed home and without hesitation ran inside the burning house where her 14-month-old dog Sumo was crated.

“He’d normally come with us, but I didn’t want him sitting in the car for three hours while we were at the movies,” Curwood said.

“I knew where he was. I knew he was in my room in his crate.

“I honestly do not know how I did it, but when I arrived, I managed to get past everyone, including every fireman, and I got into the house.

“I got probably within half a metre of my doorway, which is where Sumo was in my bedroom, before I was grabbed by my hoodie and dragged out of the house, because save lives first.

“He couldn’t have got out. He couldn’t have saved himself.”

14-month-old Sumo. Photo / Supplied

While no people were injured and the family’s cat and second dog were rescued from the blaze, repeated CPR efforts by firefighters to save Sumo were unsuccessful.

“They went above and beyond trying to save him. They gave Sumo CPR for over 20 minutes,” Curwood said.

“He was only 14 months old.”

14-month-old Sumo. Photo / Supplied

Curwood said Sumo had become her constant companion, giving her a sense of safety and comfort.

“He just made me feel safe, like I had someone on my side all the time,” she said.

“I used to tell him he was my bestest buddy.”

The loss has been compounded by the scale of the destruction to the family home.

“I was at the movies. I had nothing but what I was wearing,” Curwood said.

When she returned later to see what could be salvaged, there was very little left.

“Everything,” she said. “Everything is gone.”

Family photos, comfort items, a large Lego collection and other irreplaceable memories were destroyed in the fire.

“All of my kids’ photos are gone. I have no big photos left. None,” Curwood said.

“Anything that ever brought my kids comfort, their blankets, their cuddly toys, it’s all gone.”

Sumo was a much-loved family pet. Photo / Supplied

Curwood said she had spent years rebuilding her life for her children, only to see it disappear in a single night.

“I’ve worked my ass off to build a better life for my kids, and now we have nothing,” she said. “My kids are living out of boxes and supermarket bags.”

As she continues to process the loss of her home and belongings, Curwood said the absence of Sumo was “unimaginable”.

“I don’t want to imagine time without him,” she said.

A Givealittle page has been set up to support the family as they navigate the aftermath of the fire and cope with the loss of Sumo.