“In our tiredness, and overwhelm, we are thankful for all the support,” say a Katikati family whose home was recently destroyed by a fire.

The Macfarlane family are reeling from a devastating fire which burned their home into a shell, destroyed most of their belongings, and the worse – it took the life of their beloved dog Billie.

The family are overwhelmed and getting their heads around all that’s happened. The community has rallied with countless offers of help, and they have been offered a home to ground themselves for the next few months to heal and rebuild their lives.

Church minister

Jonathan Macfarlane is the minister in charge of St Peter’s Anglican Church. His family Lauren, Jack, Jemma, Louisa, Leo, and Loretta lived in the vicarage at the back of the church.

On March 10 at 7.15pm a fire took hold in one of the children’s bedrooms.

Lauren and Jack were on a bike ride and the others were watching television.

The fire has been classified as undetermined. Photo / Supplied

Jonathan said he smelled smoke which he assumed was from outside.

“Then I saw smoke coming from a bedroom and the bed was on fire. I sent the four kids out the door to the church, and emptied a fire extinguisher into the bed, however I believe the walls had likely caught fire at that point.

“I was coughing on smoke while clearly aware I had to prioritise my children. Grabbing only my wallet, keys, and wife’s bag on the way out, I dialled 111 and I took the kids to the front the church.”

Fire response

Three fire trucks from Katikati, as well as one each from Mayor View and Ōmokoroa, attended the fire. The first attending truck found the house well involved.

The fire was under control by around 7.55pm and extinguished a short time later after firefighters in breathing apparatus made access to the ceiling and roof. Crews remained on scene to dampen down hot spots until around 9.40pm, when the last crew left.

A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesperson said a specialist fire investigator attended the next day and has classified the cause of the fire as undetermined.

The undetermined classification is used when a cause cannot be proven to an acceptable level of certainty.

The historic church was spared, with the garage and neighbour’s homes.

Unknown cause

Jonathan said firefighters know the origin of the fire was in the bedroom, but not the cause.

“The side/bottom of the single bed base caught fire. They ruled out ground level electrical faults, and all other potential heat sources were accounted for as best as possible. No children had been in the room for 40 minutes. I was told there’s a high chance it’s a freak accident such as an exploding lightbulb and we won’t know why.

“No evidence could be found of arson.

“What I wanted most in the first 24 hours was answers, and indeterminate cause with known origin is all we have.”

Four crews remained at the house to dampen down hot spots until around 9.40pm. Photo / Supplied

Now the family must go through the phase of insurance, liaising with parish and diocesan. They are so grateful to be offered the furnished house at Waihi Beach.

“We’d like to extend heartfelt thanks to everyone who has supported and cared. To St Peter’s Anglican Church, Bishop Philip Richardson and our Waikato Taranaki Diocese, Katikati Combined Churches, and Christian Foodbank, Katikati Stags Rugby Club, friends around the country including some who came from the Manawatū, and the town which we’ve been welcomed into - thank you.

“I'd also like to extend our deepest gratitude and admiration to Katikati Fire Brigade and all the fire fighters who came to serve.”