'No rhyme or reason' to fatal fires spike

The head of fire investigations in the country says the recent spike in fatal house fires has "no rhyme or reason".

There have been nine lives lost in six house fires since July.

The most recent was in Linwood, Christchurch, when an occupant died in a house fire that began about 2.15pm today.

Peter Wilding, National Manager of Fire Investigations, said it was too early to comment on the Christchurch house fire, and was waiting for police to confirm the cause of the death of the occupant.

Last weekend, three people lost their lives in a house fire in Hamilton.

Mr Wilding said there was no particular cause for the spike of fatal house fires.

"There's no rhyme or reason, they've been all over the country."

However, he said there was a glimmer of hope in the triple fatality last weekend in Hamilton.

"The hardware stores have reported a mass run on smoke alarms, which from our point of view is a real silver lining out of a very sad tragedy."

Between 80 and 90 per cent of homes had smoke alarms installed, Mr Wilding said, but many were installed and no longer working.

"Most people who die in house fires die some distance from where the fire started, it's not that they've been burnt by fire but its that they've been overcome by the products of the fire: the smoke, which is very toxic," Mr Wilding said.

The nine deaths in house fires since July were avoidable, Mr Wilding said.

"These were ones where people could have got out if they had had adequate warning."

Mr Wilding said changes in technology held promise for the efficacy of smoke alarms.

New smoke alarms come with batteries that have a ten-year life. There have been others brought out that are wireless, and can send messages to the other alarms in the house.

"Technology is helping us, education has gone as far as its going to go in terms of influence in the country, so really it boils down to regulation as a final answer for us," Mr Wilding said.

The regulation he is talking about is changes to make landlords legally obligated to provide smoke alarms in rental properties.

"Fire doesn't respect anybody, everyone should look around and see if there's an alarm present."

As summer rolls around people will be heading to rental accommodation for holidays, and Mr Wilding urged everyone to take a smoke alarm with them that they can install when they arrive.

Nine fatal house fires since July:

August 24 - A man dead after house fire in Titahi Bay

September 8 - Gail Edwards and Ineke Wessel died in a house fire in Castlecliff, Wanganui

September 13 - Corey James Mclean died in a house fire in Parklands, Christchurch.

November 9 - 3-year-old O'rlandau Kingi-Day died in a house fire started from a novelty lighter in Dinsdale, Hamilton.

November 15 - Jake Hayes, Connor Swetman and Toni Maree Johnston, died in a house fire on Collingwood Street, Hamilton

November 20 - One dead in house fire in Linwood, Christchurch.