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Alice Hudson was considering an afternoon nap when her 9-year-old son begged her to help him build a volcano. As he stood at the sink filling a bowl with hot water, he heard the alarms from local firefighters.
Looking outside to see where they were going, he saw smoke billowing across his front yard from a fire pit at his neighbor’s house.
Within minutes, strong winds of up to 75 miles blew embers from the fire at his Dunedin home on Beaconsfield Rd, destroying all of his family’s belongings.
Alice hudson
Her daughter Grace Tobin’s bedroom was destroyed in the fire.
The fire forced about 25 people and their pets to be evacuated from a dozen homes.
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Fire investigator Marty Jillings said embers from the fire pit were one of the “possible ignition sources” under investigation, and the fire was not suspicious.
Hudson said Things He called his partner around 4.30pm after seeing the smoke and ran out in his socks to tell him that his neighbor had had a campfire burning all day in the high winds.
Hudson has had a fear of fire ever since she lost two friends in a fire when she was younger, and she told her two children at home to stay indoors while she verified what was happening.
Alice hudson
Hudson lost everything in the fire and had no insurance for his belongings.
“The wind was so strong that the smoke from the fire pit was heading sideways, completely horizontal directly into a line of macrocarpa trees and the embers had just hit the hedges and it was starting to rise as I looked at it.”
He immediately dialed 111 when two of his sons, George, 9 and Grace 7, ran off. Her oldest daughter, Evie, was at a friend’s house for a sleepover.
“In three gusts of wind, the entire shed on the treeline was engulfed in flames and he was frantically trying to dial 111 as he ran back to the front of the yard.”
Alice Hudson / Stuff
Hudson’s home, including his son George’s room, was destroyed by a fire believed to have been caused by embers from a fire pit in a neighbor’s yard.
Hudson screamed when he heard loud bangs coming from the property, items in the garage, and his car and lawn mower exploding.
“Within two minutes, the fire had ended on the second floor, the flames were so high and it was ravaging the entire side of the house. We could hear the windows starting to break. “
While on the road watching the fire destroy his belongings, Hudson posted a photo of the smoke on Facebook, with the words “bye home.”
“It was really out of me. I got pretty hysterical. “
Community members came to the family’s aid, handing out jackets to their children, and after a sleepless night on Saturday, Hudson returned to the scene Sunday morning to assess the damage.
Alice hudson
A shed was also destroyed in the fire, which is believed to have been caused by embers from a fire pit in a neighboring house.
The home was destroyed and most of the children’s rooms no longer had floors, Hudson said.
“George’s room is no longer a room, there is no floor in his room. The bunks went through the foundation, they’re just charred.
“It’s so horrible that I don’t know how to process it mentally.”
The family, unable to pay for content insurance, lost almost all of their belongings.
Alice hudson
Alice Hudson’s eldest daughter, Evie, also saw her bedroom destroyed.
George, a talented sportsman, lost all his trophies, his bike and his skateboard.
Medications for Hudson’s two youngest children, who have ADHD, were also lost in the fire, and the family’s two cats, Pretty and Batty, were also missing.
She believes that the person with the fire pit should be charged.
“I lost everything. I am furious, my children have lost everything.”
Two days after the fire, Hudson said he has slept about three hours since it erupted.
“Every time I close my eyes all I can see is fire, I can’t get rid of the burning smell. It was just black, my whole face and lips feel sunburned. “
A small page created to help the family had raised nearly $ 14,000 on Monday morning.
Paul Le Comte / Things
Firefighters spent Saturday night wetting the site.
Homeowner Heather Morris previously said her husband Warren stored their boat, car, trailers and tools on the property, all of which were destroyed.
“I am absolutely devastated,” Morris said. “You walk and look out the windows and there’s nothing there.”
Morris believed that it was “irresponsible” of the people who had the fire pit not to put it out, given the high winds.
MEGHAN HUGHES
A fire in a large house in the Dunedin suburb of Portobello has threatened neighboring houses.
“We have a fantastic little community and everyone is together and makes sure they have a place to stay, clothes and things for the kids.
“We have been inundated with phone calls, messages and food. The community is really wonderful. “
She was grateful for the “wonderful work” of the firefighters, who said they saved many other houses from destruction.
Alice hudson
Hudson’s car also exploded in the fire.
