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A Hastings woman who lost her dog and home to a fire is describing one of the finds among the ruins as “the miracle piece”.
Heather Gregory was returning from an overseas holiday and was in Wellington when she got the call from a neighbour between 9.30am and 10am on Monday to ask if she was okay.
It was then that her neighbour let her know there were fire engines at her home on Pakowhai Rd.
Gregory had lived in the house for 40 years, where she built a home and family with husband Richard Gregory, who died in 2013.
Her dog, a mixed-breed terrier named Tonic, died in the fire, on her bed.
“He was waiting for me to come home after a month away,” she said with a tear in her eye.
Heather Gregory found the bust she made of late husband Richard after he died in 2013. It survived the fire that ripped through her family home. Photo / Michaela Gower
Heather said the fire had destroyed the urn with Richard’s ashes inside.
But a porcelain bust she made of him shortly after his death had survived, blackened but intact – with barely a scratch on it.
“Weirdly, it survived, and it’s the miracle piece.
“For the unluckiest people, we are very lucky.
“We have lost a lot of precious stuff, but you lose the stuff you don’t lose the memories.”
Gregory said once she knew the house was on fire, she checked if her two adult children, with whom she shared the house, were okay.
Heather Gregory's house on Pakowhai Rd, in Hastings was severely damaged in the fire. Photo / Michaela Gower
Their long driveway in the semi-rural area of Mahora – between Eco Lodge Pakowhai and Gracelands Village – meant the fire was hard to find, and the house was beyond saving by the time fire crews arrived, she said.
Eighty per cent of the house was destroyed by the flames, with the other 20% damaged by water and smoke.
“When they did find it, it was well ablaze ... It’s burned right down to the ground, the piles have gone.”
Gregory said the consented firebox in the living room was stoked before her children left for work around 7am on Monday to ensure the home was warm for her homecoming.
She said she believed the fire was probably caused by heat that had escaped through a tiny hole in the 90-year-old chimney.
A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesperson said the service was alerted to the fire at 9.32am on Monday.
Seven fire engines were sent to the blaze from Hastings and Napier stations, and the fire was suppressed by 11am.
The spokesperson said crews worked to dampen down hotspots until 4.30pm, when the last crew left the property.
An investigation into the cause of the fire is under way, the spokesperson said.
Gregory, who said she was insured, planned to rebuild in the same footprint of the old house.
In the meantime, she would stay at another house on the property.
She said she was grateful for all the support she and her family had received and many people had reached out to help. A friend had also delivered boxes of clothing.
She wanted to thank the first responders and the neighbours and asked people to respect the family’s privacy over the coming weeks.
Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings newsroom. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and loves sharing stories about farming and rural communities.
