Father rescues boy as flames lick wardrobe

By TONY GEE AND ROSALEEN MACBRAYNE

WHANGAREI - The Fire Service in Whangarei is again warning of the dangers of children playing with cigarette lighters after an incident in the suburb of Otangarei yesterday morning in which a boy had a lucky escape after he set fire to a wardrobe.

Firefighters in the Bay of Plenty are also worried about fire safety complacency following a recent survey.

In Whangarei, the 4-year-old had been lighting paper in the wardrobe of a house in William Jones Ave, when his father smelled smoke.

Fire officer Ross Leadley said although a smoke alarm was installed in the hallway of the house, it would have taken some time to activate. There was no alarm in the boy's bedroom.

"The father found the boy in the wardrobe and basically saved his life," Mr Leadley said.

Flames from the paper fire took hold in the wardrobe and in ceiling space above it. Firefighters contained the blaze and there was little structural damage to the house.

Neither the boy, nor his father who suffered smoke inhalation, was injured.

Mr Leadley said yesterday the circumstances were similar to the tragic house fire in Tikipunga earlier this year when two boys burned to death while playing in a garage with a lighter.

"These incidents highlight the serious danger of children getting access to lighters and the resulting risk of fire. Kids will always have a natural tendency to experiment with fire."



Bay-Waikato Fire Service regional commander Jim Stephens also says people are complacent about fire safety.

Research conducted in the Bay of Plenty and Waikato, after fire killed 15 young backpackers in Queensland last month, showed few travellers checked for fire protection, such as smoke alarms, when they stayed away from home.

Of 300 people questioned, 126 indicated they had thought about safety aspects in the places they had stayed, but only 37 actually bothered to consider protection such as smoke alarms.

Mr Stephens said it was foolhardy to assume safety.

People needed to question hotel, motel, hostel or other accommodation proprietors before making a reservation.

They should find out whether all rooms were covered by smoke detectors and if the establishment was fully sprinkler protected in the event of fire.

"When we consider the amount of publicity surrounding the installation of smoke alarms, obviously we have a long way to go to shake the complacent attitude - it won't happen to me."

The fatal hostel blaze in Australia saw 62 escape when flames swept through the Palace Backpackers' Hostel at Childers, 314km north of Brisbane. Most of the occupants were young foreign tourists there for seasonal fruit picking.