Off-duty policeman saves three from fire

An off-duty constable saved a mother and two children after he broke into their burning Dunedin home and dragged them unconscious to safety.

Craig Bennett, 30, was driving past the house in suburban Mornington when he saw windows exploding and fireballs shooting into the air.

The fire is thought to have started from an electrical fault at 7.30am on Saturday.

"I didn't think about anything, really. I went into policeman mode and just concentrated on getting the people out," Mr Bennett said.

Neighbours showed Mr Bennett where one of the bedrooms was and he smashed a window and climbed in to see who he could find.

"The smoke was at ground level and I went down on my knees, but it didn't make a difference.

"I had to walk around with my eyes closed because they were just streaming."

Feeling around the room, he found a 5-year-old boy unconscious on a bed and handed him out the window to a waiting neighbour.

He then heard a moan and eventually found the 3-year-old girl behind the bed. She, too, was unconscious and he passed her out the window to neighbours.

Thick, choking smoke made it impossible for Mr Bennett to go further into the house so he climbed out and was directed to another window where it was thought the children's mother might be.

He smashed his way into the room and found the young woman lying on the floor.

But the smoke got too much and Mr Bennett was forced to leave.

"I was starting to feel really giddy and I knew I couldn't get her out in time."

The part-time log-fire installer ran to his truck, grabbed a dust mask and headed back as firefighters arrived.

He and a fireman went back to the bedroom and dragged out the critically ill woman.

"I know this is the old cliche, but I really was just doing my job.

"I didn't do anything that any other cop wouldn't have done," Mr Bennett said.

He had high praise for the neighbours who helped.

"I couldn't have done it without them. Not only would I have not known where to start, what would I have done with the kids when I had them?"

Last night the children were discharged from Dunedin Hospital.

Their mother, 22-year-old Mary-Jane McKinlay, was moved from intensive care into a general ward.

Mr Bennett was treated at the scene for cuts to his hands and arms, and two of the neighbours also suffered minor cuts.

Ms McKinlay was renting the property and had lived there for about a year.

Detective Sergeant Brett Roberts said the fire was not being treated as suspicious.

The blaze started in the lounge, which was extensively damaged, as was the adjoining kitchen.

The rest of the house was severely damaged by smoke.

"Craig did a brilliant job," Mr Roberts said.

"If it hadn't been for him and the neighbours we probably would have been looking at three deaths."

- NZPA