The Star: June 09, 2016

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Thursday June 9 2016 3
News
Ronald McDonald House needs your support
SPENDING 11 days at Ronald
McDonald House South Island
after the premature birth of
their youngest son was not the
Christmas the Murphy’s had
planned.
Chris and Jo were preparing
for the birth of their fourth
child, Finn, in December when
Jo’s 20-week scan found something
could be wrong.
They travelled to Ronald
McDonald House South Island
in Christchurch where Finn was
born by Caesarean section five
weeks early.
They stayed for 11 nights,
including Christmas Day, before
being transferred to Ashburton
Hospital.
Ronald McDonald House
South Island is a 26-bedroom
central city hospital that provides
free accommodation and
• By Andrew King
AN ILAM man has spoken of
his desperate attempt to help his
neighbour after an explosion in
a shed on Tuesday night ended
with two men in intensive care.
Jason White was watching
television in his Hamilton Ave
home when he heard what he
thought was a door slamming,
he looked out his window to see
a shed engulfed in flames.
“I could hear them [the next
door neighbours] screaming to
phone the fire service. I jumped
over the fence and saw a guy
with all his clothes blown off and
burns all over his body,” he said.
The shed had exploded about
10pm after gas was ignited while
the two men were working in the
shed.
Mr White saw how badly
burnt one of the men was and
convinced him to “get under the
tap” that was on the side of the
house.
“He did not want to get under
the water but I thought it was
the best thing for him, his burns
were really bad,” he said.
The other man had mainly suffered
burns to his hands.
He said he had been awake
most of the night after the event.
“It was a terrible scene,” he
said.
Firefighters from Christchurch
central, Harewood and Sockburn
fought the shed fire for
close to an hour.
Mr White said it was a good
thing fire crews arrived when
they did as the flames were so
intense he thought it was going
to spread to the next house.
“You could tell it was sucking
in all the oxygen it could. It was
really going hard,” he said.
A firefighter from Sockburn
said there was a number of gas
canisters in the shed that did not
support to families who are
there for their child’s hospital
treatment.
But the organisation relies on
public donations, and you can
help tomorrow as street collectors
will be around the city for
its national street appeal.
Five and a half months later,
Chris, Jo, Finn and his three
brothers Henry, Monty and
William are doing well, and said
explode.
“It managed to burn a bit of
the fence. It was under control
quickly,” he said.
Detective Sergeant Chris
Power said police were notified
about the incident but were not
investigating.
“We believe the two men were
welding in the shed about 10pm
last night when some gas has
ignited and set off an explosion,”
he said.
they were overwhelmed by the
service they received. Not only
did the organisation look after
Finn and Jo, but it also housed
the rest of the family so they
could be together for Christmas.
So far this year, the service
has already supported more
than 500 families. To find out
more about tomorrow’s street
appeal or to donate, visit www.
rmhsi.org.nz.
Desperate bid to help victim
GUTTED: Two men were taken to Christchurch Hospital with
severe burns after an explosion in a shed in Ilam. Jason White
(right) helped one of the injured men. PHOTOS: GEOFF SLOAN
In Brief
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RUGBY CLUBS INVOLVED
IN POLICE CAMPAIGN
Police are launching a drink
driving campaign involving
Canterbury rural rugby clubs,
which aims to teach players to
organise sober drivers when
planning post-match celebrations.
Senior Sergeant John Hamilton,
who is heading the programme,
said there are more alcoholrelated
crashes in rural areas
because of a lack of public
transport. Fourteen rugby clubs
stretching from Selwyn to the
Waimakariri district have been
contacted to take part.
​
MT HUTT SCHEDULED TO
OPEN ON SATURDAY
Mt Hutt Ski Area will not open
tomorrow as expected because
of bad weather. However, it is
scheduled to open on Saturday.
Ski area manager James McKenzie
said the weather forecast for
tomorrow predicted high winds,
and they would prefer skiers had
better conditions on the first day
of the season.
QC FOR LAWYER
Christchurch’s Richard Raymond
QC was among 12 lawyers to
be appointed Queen’s Counsel
on Tuesday. Mr Raymond is a
partner at Duncan Cotterill,
and joined the independent
bar in 2011. He was counsel for
the families before the Royal
Commission into the Pike River
Coal Mine Tragedy in 2011 and
2012, and was counsel for the
Coroner on the 2012 Coronial
Inquiry into the collapse of the
CTV building.
THEFTS FROM CARS
Police say there has been an
alarming increase in theft from
cars in the Halswell area over
the past month. Fifty offences
have been reported but police
believe there may be more going
unreported. Items such as wallets,
phones, tools and cash have been
taken, with several incidents
where purchases were made using
payWave cards after they were
stolen from cars.
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