Three die in Blenheim blaze

Blenheim firefighters who attended a house fire earlier today in which three bodies were discovered have said the sheer speed of the fire made the prospect of saving anyone who hadn’t made it outside unrealistic.

The fire in Elzy Street was already well involved by the time the fire crews arrived on scene shortly after the first 111 call at 3.05am. The house, an older style, two bedroom weatherboard dwelling sustained damage of over 80% despite 26 firefighters and four appliances attending.

It took 10 minutes for firefighters to bring the fire under control and during the internal ‘attack’, one body was discovered in the bedroom, one in the lounge room and one just inside the back porch.

Once fully extinguished, the scene was handed over to the Police at 7.30am who have cordoned off the area and are now conducting a thorough scene examination assisted by ESR staff and Fire Safety Officers.

“No-one should ever underestimate the speed of fire,” said John Phibbs, Chief Fire Officer for the Blenheim Volunteer Fire Brigade. “It can double in size every 60 seconds and surviving one essentially comes down to ensuring you are aware of fire safety practices, having working smoke alarms and/or home sprinklers installed and an immediate call to 111.”

ENDS

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