Marton man who lost bedroom in house fire warns of dangers of multi-boxes

Marton man Grant Hardaker estimates the blaze in his bedroom will cost more than $30,000 in destroyed belongings and repairs. Photo / Bevan Conley

As Grant Hardaker sat down in his living room on Tuesday night three weeks ago, he noticed a bright orange glow on the wall opposite his sofa.

"I thought to myself, what the hell is that? I don't have a street light in my house."

Within a matter of minutes, the Marton man was clinging on to his garden hose, battling a fire that had engulfed his bedroom in flames and attempting to stop the blaze from spreading throughout the home.

The fire was sparked from an old multi-box on Hardaker's windowsill, powering just an alarm clock and Wi-Fi extender.

"It had a clock radio, lamp, Wi-Fi extender and electric blanket plugged into it, but the only things on were the clock and the extender," Hardaker said.

The cause of the fire is believed to be this multi-box, estimated to have been around 10 years old. Photo / Supplied

"I was sitting in the living room one night and heard a pop. I didn't think anything of it and then noticed the glow."

By the time he noticed the fire, flames had already crawled up the wall and on to the ceiling, engulfing the curtains, a box of documents and an electronic paper shredder along the way.

"I ran out and grabbed the hose and fought it from the outside. I didn't get it out, but stopped it spreading until the fire guys arrived."

After the fire was extinguished, the station officer told Hardaker a fire investigator wasn't necessary.

"He said it was clear as day what happened - the multi-box had gone up in flames."

While it's not known what sparked the multi-box to catch fire, Hardaker said in all likelihood it was its age and the possibility of dust within the plastic housing.

"It would be over 10 years old, and dust would have gotten into it over time I would think."

While the flames didn't reach this LED lightbulb, the heat from the fire was so strong it disintegrated the lampshade and plastic housing. Photo / Bevan Conley

The blaze isn't the first to have been sparked by a faulty multi-box in recent years.

In February, a shed was destroyed and a home damaged by smoke after a multi-box caught fire in Christchurch.

Also in Christchurch, Russley School lost four classrooms to a fire sparked by a faulty multi-box in 2019.

Fire and Emergency says multi-boards are a frequent cause of fires, but measures can be taken to reduce the risk.

"Don't overload multi-boards. At most, plug in one appliance per wall or multi-board socket.

"Never plug an adaptor or multi-board into another adaptor or multi-board.

"Don't use extension cords or multi-boxes for heaters, as they draw a lot of current."

Hardaker said the cost of the blaze was expected to be around $30,000, with more than $11,000 of that in lost property alone.

The fire started on the windowsill, where the multi-box was being used to power an alarm clock and Wi-Fi extender. Photo / Supplied

"It was my bedroom and I lost almost everything in here. If it wasn't burnt it was covered in water and smoke.

"And they're redoing the whole room. I doubt there'll be much change from $20,000 for that."

But while the full-time truck driver did lose out in the fire, he said the damage could have been much worse.

"It's just a bit of a pain. To be honest we came out really lucky. If I wasn't here to go out with the hose it would have been much worse.

"Don't take the risk. If you've got an old multi-box get it replaced. We got out lucky but others might not be the same."