Ted Shortland is hard at work trying to clean up what’s left after fire ripped through his home.
Shortland’s home on Fortune Rd, in Awakeri, was gutted by fire just after midday on July 11.
He was asleep at the time, having returned home just a couple of hours earlier from a late night at the hospital with a bad case of flu.
“I just heard a bang, then the window broke. It must have been a deodorant can exploding,” he said.
“When I opened the door, it was just silence, completely black and embers floating up. Then the heat hit me.”
Shortland escaped through his bedroom window, getting hooked on the latch, and ran around the side of the house to grab the garden hose.
At the same time, his cousin happened to be coming up the driveway and called the fire brigade.
Two Horizon Networks employees working on lines nearby also rushed over with a large fire extinguisher, but it was too late and all they could do was wait for the fire brigade to arrive.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand said crews from Whakatāne, Edgecumbe, Kawerau and Ōhope attended, bringing the fire under control by 1pm.
A specialist fire investigator attended. The cause was undetermined, but is believed to be accidental.
Shortland said the wind was very gusty on the day of the fire, and the heat was so hot that the shed started igniting before the flames even spread to it.
The property’s long and narrow driveway complicated the firefighting effort, because only one fire engine could access the property at a time.
Shortland did not have time to think about saving many belongings, but he was able to move some vehicles to safety.
Under the watchful eye of the Horizon workers, he was able to enter the shed to save his beloved Harley-Davidson motorbike.
When they realised what he was doing, they helped him move it out.
“I wouldn’t have been able to save the bike if it wasn’t for them.”
Shortland said there was once a time in his life when all he wanted was to own a Harley.
“I suppose dreams do come true, because that’s literally all I’ve got.”
Only he and his partner’s stepfather, a shift worker who was sleeping in a nearby caravan, were home at the time.
Shortland lived in the main house with his son. It was the setting for many family dinners with his four children and their kids, who loved making the most of the rural property.
He had his dining table positioned so he could look over the vast landscape as he drank his morning coffee in front of the southeast-facing windows.
“I loved living out here. It was peaceful. I loved having breakfast in that window.”
Almost everything was destroyed by the fire, including irreplaceable photos, items he had collected for years, his extensive tool set, and his son’s shoe collection.
The house was a rental owned by a trust. It was insured, but Shortland’s contents were not.
Despite losing everything he owned, he is trying to keep a positive attitude.
“It didn’t take its toll until probably the third day. That was when I started remembering what was in there, and the loss started adding up.
“It’s a little emotional, but I’ve just got to think positive and build from now.
“I’m just lucky to be alive. I can replace the things I need.”
He already had plans to build a house on family land nearby and was waiting for the right time to start. However, the only two copies of those plans were also destroyed in the fire.
In the meantime, Shortland has rented a cabin to put on the land.
He said he was grateful to many people in the wake of the fire.
Among them were the fire and ambulance staff who attended immediately, the Horizon line workers who went out of their way to help, family and friends who have supported him since, and the trust that owns the property, which put him up in a motel while he got himself sorted.
He was humbled to see the support given to him on Facebook and through a Givealittle fundraiser set up by his son.
“I’m a private person. I don’t have a Facebook page or social media. When my son showed me, I was quite embarrassed.
“Times are tough for everyone, but when you see people giving, it’s very humbling. I’m very grateful.
“I would have just got over it and moved on, but with the support I can buy myself some clothes.”