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A couple who lost everything in a house fire in the early morning hours three days before Christmas are going through a roller coaster of emotions, between being thankful to be alive and mourning their loss.
Susan Reynolds and her partner Shane, who doesn’t want their last name used, ran out of their Northland home to escape the smoke of hell Tuesday morning.
They had only been living in the rental property, on Moerewa’s Hautapu Rd, for a couple of months and had yet to arrange contents insurance.
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The fire almost completely destroyed the home in Northland’s Moerewa.
But Reynolds believed the electrician-installed smoke alarms saved their lives from the “insane” heat and smoke.
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When he woke up, all he could hear was the noise of the fire, which he believes started on the back deck.
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Susan Reynolds hoped that some of her clothes had been stored in her bedroom, but found them melted.
“I could hear strange noises and crazy bumps, scratches and bumps,” he said.
Reynolds was grateful to have her bag and phone by the bed, as it was all she could grab before running out the front door.
“The smoke drove me away and only then did I hear the smoke alarms, because the noise of the fire was so loud.”
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The fire was so hot that it melted the rainwater tank and nearby vehicles.
Shane saw the fire burning the rear deck and saw the deck doors explode inward before he, too, made a hasty exit.
A New Zealand Fire and Emergency spokesperson said five fire trucks from Kerikeri and Kaikohe fought the blaze, after receiving multiple calls, but the fire was too involved to save anything.
The fire was accidental, resulting from a fish smoker on the deck, the spokesman said.
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The fire service had multiple calls to the fire in the early morning as many Moerewa residents were able to see it.
Reynolds said the couple lost everything they owned, from Christmas gifts and food, to all of their clothing, furniture and Shane’s specialized fishing rods.
Shane’s ute suffered a melted bumper and headlights just from being parked outside the house as it burned.
But the couple have been honored by the donations they’ve received, including more than $ 6,000 raised on a Givealittle page created by Reynolds’ daughter Manning Reynolds.
“They have been so generous, someone has given us $ 500, it’s just amazing.”
Neighbors, family and landlord have given her clothes and vouchers, and Reynolds has also received support from the Bay of Islands College community, where she works as a counselor.
“Waves of pain keep coming to us because we keep thinking about all the things we have lost … But we are so grateful to the people who have been so, so kind to us.”
