Community rallies around family after home burns down
A young Grey Valley family, left homeless after a terrible chain of events last week, has had offers of help pouring in from the wider community.
The Greymouth Star has fielded numerous calls offering assistance after the family lost their home and all their possessions in a fire in Maimai.
A tearful Heeni Millar spoke of the nightmare that befell her family last Thursday.
"It was just one thing after another."
She and her brother were waiting at the Stillwater underpass on State Highway 7 after a trip to Greymouth when a speeding car coming the other way ploughed into them.
A third vehicle behind them was also damaged.
Ms Millar and her brother were both taken to hospital in Greymouth.
"I'm glad we took my car, a Holden sedan. We would have been worse off in his car."
Ms Millar suffered bruising when the airbag deployed, and her brother had whiplash.
"My partner [Braydon Main] rushed out the door [at Maimai] as soon as I rang him [about the crash]."
Upon their return home that evening, they found the house on fire and despite efforts by emergency services, it burned to the ground.
Their two pet dogs died in the blaze.
"We have nowhere to stay, we have a couple of pairs of pants and we have been offered heaps of kids' clothes."
The family has been in the upper Grey Valley for "a wee bit" including in Ikamatua, and had been living at the rental home in Maimai for "maybe three or four months" while working on a dairy farm.
"We are staying at Somerville ... with my brother.
"The community have been really good.
"They have given us vouchers for food and my daughter, who attends Reefton Area School, got a few school clothes — the big problem at the moment is we have nowhere to put it.
"I am trying to be positive, but it's hard."
Their priority as parents was to not worry their daughter, who turns 6 in November.
"We let her see the house the other day and she went a bit funny — she's taken it a bit hard too."
It all stemmed from the accident at Stillwater, Ms Millar said.
"Everything would have been avoidable if the cops had asked us to go away instead of letting us sit at the give way."
A Givealittle page was being set up to help the family.
— Greymouth Star
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NZ Herald
08-08-2025
- NZ Herald
Mount Maunganui house fire: Community rallies after Arataki family lose home
'The house was well ablaze on arrival, and the fire was extinguished just after 10.30pm. A specialist fire investigator attended. The fire started in the garage, then spread to the house.' The spokesperson said the cause was electrical. Whānau, the Arataki Primary school community and others have rallied to support the family. A whānau member started a Givealittle page, with almost $6500 raised by Friday morning. Hiini said the children attended the school, and the youngest had a 'very rare' neurological disorder called Angelman Syndrome. It causes delayed development, problems with speech and balance, and sometimes, seizures. Belongings destroyed included specialised items essential for the youngest child's daily comfort and wellbeing, including supportive seating, feeding equipment and sensory aids, she said. Hiini said the parents met with her on Tuesday and were struggling to come to terms with their 'devastating loss'. 'They're still in shock and trying to process what has happened. They had no contents insurance.' The children's mother said she and her partner were 'exhausted and hadn't slept' since the blaze. Hiini said the father had described to her how the tragedy unfolded. He was watching TV alone and heard a 'loud popping noise' and discovered there was fire in the garage. He rushed to wake his partner and the children and got them safely out of the house. The father then grabbed a fire extinguisher but the fire was 'too fierce'. 'He then ran outside to get a hose, but the fire quickly spread to the house and soon engulfed it.' The mother called 111. A relative came and picked up the children, who were only wearing their pyjamas, and the shocked couple 'watched helplessly' as their home and belongings went up in flames. Hiini said the family were staying with a whānau member and a family friend, but on Thursday, they received an offer of a new rental property. The family expected to pick up the keys over the weekend, she said. 'It's heartbreaking that one of our whānau has suffered such a devastating loss. Our wonderful Arataki community and others have rallied to provide incredible support to help them get back on their feet.' Hiini said the school hall was a drop-off point for donations of good-quality items on Monday and Tuesday next week. Hiini said she would ensure the whanau received items in good condition. Donations had met their immediate clothing needs. She said cash donations would help the family buy some bigger items such as beds, bedroom, dining and lounge furniture, and kitchen appliances such as a fridge/freezer. The family had hired a storage shed for larger donated items until they could be moved to their new rental, Hiini said. 'Thank you to all those who have supported this whānau, who need lots of support. Our community is amazing.' Fire safety advice A Fire and Emergency NZ spokesperson said a fire could be 'unsurvivable within just three minutes'. 'That's why it's so important to get early warning of fire from your smoke alarms. Make sure you have working smoke alarms in all bedrooms, hallways, and living areas – including caravans and in sleepouts.' The spokesperson said when smoke alarms go off, 'get out and stay out'. 'Make sure your family has a three-step escape plan, which includes working smoke alarms, knowing the best and alternative ways out and having a safe meeting place. Sandra Conchie is a senior journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post who has been a journalist for 24 years. She mainly covers police, court and other justice stories, as well as general news. She has been a Canon Media Awards regional/community reporter of the year.
Otago Daily Times
16-07-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Survivor recounts narrow escape from blaze that destroyed home
A Dunedin man seriously burned in a ferocious house fire says his family had a minute to escape the inferno "or we would have all been gone". Luke Chapman was woken at 3am after hearing a "crash" and "bang" in his home in Allandale Rd, St Clair. The sound was a roaring fire smashing his windows and engulfing a wall. He yelled for his two adult children to get out and, 10 minutes later, the house was fully engulfed in flames. "One more minute and we would have all been gone," he said. By morning, the home was a total loss — as well as everything inside it. At the fire's peak, 26 firefighters were battling it. Three weeks on, Mr Chapman said he was "in awe" of the generosity of the Dunedin community. "The generosity of the community and how quickly they jumped to task was so humbling — everything from clothing through to a house was offered." A Givealittle page was set up for Mr Chapman and his family, and the funds raised were going towards supporting them day to day. Mr Chapman, who works for Allied Productions, said fire was a "beast", and warned that it was a lot more intense, fast-moving and dangerous than many people thought. "The fire bit me for less than a second, yet I ended up with second-degree burns, seven days in hospital. Most of my back's all chewed to pieces and disfigured for whoever knows how long. "It was less than a second of exposure to the radiant heat. I didn't even touch the flames." Burns covered 18% of his body — if it had been 20%, he would have been sent to the burns unit in Christchurch. His injuries were "evolving burns", which meant they got worse in the first week before beginning to heal. Losing all his possessions was also something he had to come to terms with. "Even simple things ... like our cars were in the driveway, but all the keys melted with the house, so we had to get all new keys cut — all little things that are now all gone." Videotapes with his children's first moments were burnt, but luckily a hard drive of family photos had been left at work earlier that week. However, at the moment, Mr Chapman was "nobody", as all his formal identification was destroyed. "We keep all the passports and the birth certificates in a safe drawer on the desk in the hallway, supposedly to grab on the way out when there's a fire — doing that didn't even cross my mind. It was 'let's just get out of here'." He suggested people store identification in a fireproof safe, because it was "very, very difficult" to get new identification. The house had working smoke alarms, but he did not notice if they activated in the rush to escape. Fire investigator Scottie Cameron said the the cause of the fire had been determined and the blaze was being classed as accidental. Mr Chapman's burns were now healing well, and slowly things were falling into place. "The nightmares that I have is if I had woken up one minute later, the house would have been full of smoke and there would have been flames everywhere. "It would have been a totally different kind of fire."
Otago Daily Times
16-07-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Intensity of house fire still with victim
A Dunedin man seriously burned in a ferocious house fire says his family had a minute to escape the inferno "or we would have all been gone". Luke Chapman was woken at 3am after hearing a "crash" and "bang" in his home in Allandale Rd, St Clair. The sound was a roaring fire smashing his windows and engulfing a wall. He yelled for his two adult children to get out and, 10 minutes later, the house was fully engulfed in flames. "One more minute and we would have all been gone," he said. By morning, the home was a total loss — as well as everything inside it. At the fire's peak, 26 firefighters were battling it. Three weeks on, Mr Chapman said he was "in awe" of the generosity of the Dunedin community. "The generosity of the community and how quickly they jumped to task was so humbling — everything from clothing through to a house was offered." A Givealittle page was set up for Mr Chapman and his family, and the funds raised were going towards supporting them day to day. Mr Chapman, who works for Allied Press, said fire was a "beast", and warned that it was a lot more intense, fast-moving and dangerous than many people thought. "The fire bit me for less than a second, yet I ended up with second-degree burns, seven days in hospital. Most of my back's all chewed to pieces and disfigured for whoever knows how long. "It was less than a second of exposure to the radiant heat. I didn't even touch the flames." Burns covered 18% of his body — if it had been 20%, he would have been sent to the burns unit in Christchurch. His injuries were "evolving burns", which meant they got worse in the first week before beginning to heal. Losing all his possessions was also something he had to come to terms with. "Even simple things ... like our cars were in the driveway, but all the keys melted with the house, so we had to get all new keys cut — all little things that are now all gone." Videotapes with his children's first moments were burnt, but luckily a hard drive of family photos had been left at work earlier that week. However, at the moment, Mr Chapman was "nobody", as all his formal identification was destroyed. "We keep all the passports and the birth certificates in a safe drawer on the desk in the hallway, supposedly to grab on the way out when there's a fire — doing that didn't even cross my mind. It was 'let's just get out of here'." He suggested people store identification in a fireproof safe, because it was "very, very difficult" to get new identification. The house had working smoke alarms, but he did not notice if they activated in the rush to escape. Fire investigator Scottie Cameron said the the cause of the fire had been determined and the blaze was being classed as accidental. Mr Chapman's burns were now healing well, and slowly things were falling into place. "The nightmares that I have is if I had woken up one minute later, the house would have been full of smoke and there would have been flames everywhere. "It would have been a totally different kind of fire."
