Housebus fire may have been caused by cooker

By ROSALEEN MACBRAYNE

Alcohol, candles and cooking were the probable fuse for a fatal housebus fire near Tauranga yesterday.

Describing the combination as a "lethal cocktail," the assistant commander for the Bay of Plenty and Waikato fire region, Keith Fraser said: "It is extremely frustrating because we have campaigned so hard to alert people to these risks."

The early morning blaze which claimed the life of 42-year-old father of three, Noel Henry Johnson, was the fourth fire death in New Zealand in three days.

Mr Johnson had been drinking heavily before the inferno destroyed the bus about 5.30am. The cause is still being investigated but police and fire authorities believe he may have been cooking a meal after being taken home from a hotel.

Mr Johnson had been living in the old housebus on a rural Whakamarama property for about two months after a relationship breakup. His three young sons sometimes visited at weekends but were not there yesterday.

Mr Fraser said the accommodation was substandard, with no power and no smoke alarm. Mr Johnson relied on candles and a small gas cooker for lighting and cooking.

The fire service had carried out major campaigns warning of fire risks, without apparent success, the assistant commander said today.

"No matter how often we keep highlighting it, this happens time and time again."

The relationship between fires and alcohol or drugs had been hidden for too long and should be faced up to, said Mr Fraser.

In most cases males were involved, although two women aged 41 and 31 - both believed to have been heavy drinkers - were burned to death in a Housing New Zealand flat in Auckland on Thursday night.

On Friday, a 22-year-old Waitara man died in a Taranaki house fire. Police say he may have fallen asleep while cooking a meal.

Mr Fraser said candles were becoming "a public curse" and more and more fire deaths were being caused through inappropriate use of them.

"People seem to have no conception of the extreme dangers they expose themselves to when using open flame for lighting. They must ensure they use flat-based holders."

A housebus posed an even greater risk because there was little time or room to escape. Mr Johnson's body was found near an emergency door at the back, indicating he may have been trying to get out, said Mr Fraser.