Firefighters injured in
blaze
2004 -- A blaze which injured three firefighters and razed a century-old
Christchurch home was probably started by teenagers with fireworks, the Fire Service says.
A group of young people were seen lighting fireworks
near the Geraldine St house, in the suburb or St Albans, less than an hour before flames
engulfed it last night, fire investigation officer Ian Fleming said.
The four fire crews who attended were told somebody
was trapped inside, Mr Fleming said. But the owner of the house had already escaped
unharmed.
One firefighter was burnt and blistered in the blaze
and two others were hit by falling debris when the roof of the house collapsed, Mr Fleming
said.
It is understood they suffered only minor injuries
and are recovering well. Officers battled the fire for more than five hours.
Mr Fleming said the firefighters were very lucky not
to have been more seriously injured.
"It was a stupid act which put our guys in
danger."
A police spokeswoman said detectives were
investigating the cause of the fire which started about 10.30pm.
The home's owner was long-time St Albans resident
Owen Manning. He had lived in the villa for at least three decades, according to his
former wife Beverley Manning.
She said Mr Manning's family were devastated the
irresponsible use of fireworks had destroyed a home and endangered lives.
Ms Manning said her former husband had bought the
villa more than three decades ago and it had been home to their five children over the
years.
Mr Manning's family and friends had been fearful of
an attack on his property for some time because of past incidents where he had been
terrorised by gangs of youths, she said.
Geraldine St resident Shawn Thompson said the house
had a reputation as "haunted" because it looked rundown and uninhabited.
In the past six months he and other neighbours had
called police to Mr Manning's address several times after incidents such as smashed
windows, Mr Thompson said.
Mr Manning's neighbours described him as
"eccentric" and "reclusive". He featured in The Press last June when
he pleaded guilty to obstructing and resisting police during a dispute with Christchurch
City Council staff who entered his property to do work.
South Island firefighters responded to four times
the usual number of 111 calls on Friday and Saturday night, about 120 each night. Saturday
night saw two serious house fires in Dunedin and a third in Christchurch as well as a
spate of fires in hedges, trees, letter-boxes and cars.
Southern communications centre shift manager Chris
Munro said having Guy Fawkes fall on a warm and windy weekend led to a particularly high
number of calls.
"It was busier than last year but we handled
it," he said.
