The New Zealand Fire Service Magazine

More than 50 building
industry trainees were left
looking for a new place of
work after a fire razed the
G & H Training base in Napier
on January 22 this year.
Training for fire
1500 square metres of buildings
were brought to the ground by
the third alarm fire in Onekawa.
11 appliances were called out with
Napier, Hastings and Bay View
stations supplying manpower.
DCFO Collin Littlewood, who
could see the fire in the sky as he
was summoned from his home at
Te Awanga, said it took more than
an hour to get the flames under
control. He said that at its peak there
were 40 firefighters battling the blaze.
“There was quite a large plume of
smoke and flame, and firefighters
were hampered by the gas cylinders
inside the buildings.”
Great bales of fire
Firefighters in Invercargill
were called to the fire on
the back of a truck on
January 9.
The fire is believed to have started
from a spark in the exhaust pipe,
although the plank of wood resting
on the red-hot exhaust pipe and
touching the hay bales wouldn’t
have been helpful.
The owner of the truck, Mr Brian
Neas – a contractor – said the hay
bales had a value $4500. “I had an
invoice sitting written out in the
truck.” All 650 bales and the truck
were destroyed though Mr Neas
was insured.
18 Issue No. 37
Incidents
Photo courtesy of Southland Times
Facing several explosions as gas
cylinders erupted in the blaze, he said
the fulltime and volunteer firefighters
did a great job stopping the fire from
spreading to other sites in the
industrial district.
G & H Training Operations Manager
Steve Smithers, who arrived as the
roof was collapsing, said that as well
as all of the machinery and electronic
equipment lost in the fire, trainees
would have lost some property,
including tools.
Thanks to a positive effort from
several Hawke’s Bay businesses, a
new location has been found and
renovation has begun meaning that
all students will be welcomed back a
mere two weeks after the fire.