Volunteer firefighter loses home

Simon Rees is used to saving other people's homes from fire but could only watch on helplessly as his Stoke house went up in flames yesterday afternoon.

The volunteer firefighter and father of two, was just outside of Richmond when his flatmate called and told him there was smoke coming out of the ceiling.

While trying to gauge the seriousness, Simon's pager went off informing him that his house was fully ablaze.

"It has always been my worst nightmare to get a page that says my own house, as soon as I turned in that direction I could see the smoke."

Simon says the drive from Richmond to Stoke was horrific.

"There were a lot of thoughts going though my mind and waiting for green lights took forever."

Simon eventually arrived at his Willow Ave home where he saw his friends fighting the fire.

"It was fully engulfed which knocked me back a little bit, I nearly went to the station to get some gear, but I just had to support my partner and flatmates, there was nothing we could do."

Simon's partner Sian Kerr was also at work when she got the call and realised that the sirens she heard moments earlier were heading to her house.

The pair are still coming to terms with the devastating loss.

"We have literally lost everything that we owned, yesterday we left for work and had a completely awesome house that we were comfortable living in and had made our home and now we don't have that, it's pretty gutting," says Sian.  

Simon's two children aged five and seven also live at the house on a part time basis.

"It was lucky they weren't here and that we all survived, there is some good to it I suppose."

An external hard drive with close to ten thousand photos of his children was destroyed in the fire as well as letters and notes from grandparents who have now passed away and a box full of art work.

"That's the hardest part, the things that cant be replaced that hurts the most," says Sian.

Simon has been a volunteer fireman at the Stoke Station for just over a year and was previously a rural volunteer near Motueka.

"I'm capable of doing what they do so it would be wrong for me to expect them to turn up and help my family and not put my hand up when they need help."

He says the community response has been humbling.

"It's been incredible, it's hard to put into words, we have had offers from all over the country."

Sian says they have been overwhelmed by the show of support.

"Stuff you wouldn't think about has been thought about for us which is all thanks to the community, it may seem small but its pretty massive for us at the moment."

The couple are staying with Sian's mother however are worried about a long term place to live while their house is repaired.

"We are not quite sure what we are going to do, we are trying to find somewhere permanent for the next 12 months."

Sian and Simon were only about a month away from purchasing their house.

They also worry about how things will work with the children going forward.

"That's going to be the hardest thing, and its not going to be easier until we can get into a home that we can call home."

A Givealittle page has been created to support the family at this time.

Please visit the link here to contribute.

If you have clothing or household items to donate, or know of available accommodation, please contact Lance at the Stoke Fire Station.