Man drives through 12m-high flames to escape fire

A 4WD-owner drove backwards through 12m high flames to escape a fire which destroyed a forestry camp yesterday.

Clinton Penno had been asleep in his house bus at Waiotapu Camp, 20km south of Rotorua, when an explosion awoke him just before 10am yesterday.

Looking out of the window of his house-bus, he saw flames and grabbed the keys to his new 4WD.

As he reversed through 12m flames, he hoped there wouldn't be a second explosion.

"When I was backing the truck out, I was hoping it wasn't going to blow up. It was that bloody hot," he said.

A house, chalets, cars, motorbikes, a bus and a trailer were destroyed after the fire ripped through the camp. The blaze was believed to have broken out after hot ashes were left in a plastic bag in the house where the camp's caretaker lived with his wife and two young children.

The family was not at the house at the time.

Although he managed to save his new 4WD truck and his dog, Rex, Mr Penno lost everything, possibly including his cat, Jet, who was asleep in the bus when the fire broke out.

After reversing his truck to safety, Mr Penno ran back to his bus to try and save some possessions.

"It just got too hot, I had to get out of there."

He managed to grab his mobile phone and rang 111.

"I've lost everything. My whole life was in that bus," he said. Although he has contents insurance to cover the loss of his possessions, he was devastated to lose photographs of his daughter.

The camp, on Waikokomuku Rd, about 1km from Kerosene Creek, was originally built as a prison camp but has also been used as a single man's quarters for bush workers before being taken over by a trust and used as a camp for schools and community groups.

Rotorua Fire Service senior station officer Jim Prescott said the firefighters used water from a nearby creek to douse the blaze.

He said the fire was a reminder that anyone considering building a house in a rural area where there were no fire hydrants should install sprinklers.

Rotorua Fire Service chief fire officer Wayne Bedford added: "Hot ashes should always go in a metal bucket. Don't put them in a cardboard box or plastic bags."

- DAILY POST (ROTORUA)