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Boy, 3, raises house fire alarm BY MICHELLE NELSON MICHELLE.N@THEGUARDIAN.CO.NZ
A quick-thinking three-year-old boy averted a potential disaster in Methven on Friday. When the boy spotted a blaze outside the home childcare he attended, he put into practice the fire safety training the children had been rehearsing and notified an adult – even before the fire alarms were activated. The three children in the
house were quickly marshalled to the designated safety area by the mailbox. “He did everything by the book – he did an excellent job,” Ashburton fire safety officer Murray Cairns said. The fire started in a pile of ashes, left in a lean-to shed, and quickly spread to engulf items stored nearby. The incident has prompted a safety warning concerning hot ashes.
Mr Cairns said the fire had not been lit since Wednesday, and the ashes were cleaned from the fireplace at about 9.30am Friday – some 36 hours later. “Ashes can appear to be cold but it only takes one or two little embers to reignite a fire, ashes can stay hot for three or four days.” The back of the weatherboard home, including the kitchen, laundry and bathroom, were ex-
tensively damaged by the fire. The remainder of the building suffered smoke damage. “The back third of the house will need to be rebuilt,” Mr Cairns said. Mr Cairns wants to meet the young hero soon, to personally commend him for his swift response. “It just proves kids can and do remember fire safety drills,” he said.
He also commended the efforts of the Methven firefighters who attended the blaze. “They did an excellent job of stopping the fire where they did,” he said. Fireplace ashes should be put in a metal bucket and left there for several days. The bucket should not be stored near any flammable objects, or where wind gusts can blow the ashes around.
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