A boy used survival skills learned at school to save three members of his family after fire broke out in his bedroom.
Bijay Prasad, aged 11, roused his family as fire spread up the curtains in their Abbotsford home, near Dunedin, about 5.40 am on Tuesday.
Bijay said he had learned whatto do from firefighters who visited his school.
"They taught us to get down and get low," he said.
He said he woke feeling very hot and thought his electric blanket was turned up too high, but then "I saw flames and that the curtains were going up".
His nephew Dylan, 8, was in the same room.
"There was a lot of smoke and I didn't know what was going on," Bijay said.
The pair tried to get out of the burning room. They went to the door, but found it had jammed shut. "I just rammed it and we ran out," Bijay said. He then thought about going back to try to turn off the electric blanket, but decided it would be too dangerous and decided instead to close the door, which contained the fire.
He then woke Dylan's mother, Sangita Prasad, and sister Nina, 6, and the family escaped from the house.
Ms Prasad said her brother had prevented the rear of the house from going up in flames.
"He didn't freak out like I did," she said.
Firefighters yesterday praised the youngster's quick thinking. Fire investigation officer Stuart Allan said: "He did the right thing, by getting out and closing the door.
"He stopped smoke and fire from going to the rest of the house."
