When Barbosa returned, the house was engulfed in flames.
Her mother had made it outside, and neighbours had already called emergency services.
The family – Barbosa, her mother, her husband Aaron Joseph and their sons Phoenix, who turns 5 next month, and 18-month-old Hendrix – moved into the house on August 24.
It was the first home they had owned.
“We are really shaken. Every time I talk about it, I cry,” Barbosa said.
“We dreamed so much about having our own home and then for something like this to happen in less than a month was really heartbreaking.”
Carolina Barbosa and Aaron Joseph with their sons Phoenix and Hendrix. They had been living in their first home for less than a month when the fire broke out.
About half an hour after the family arrived at the scene, Barbosa said her mother collapsed and was taken to hospital by ambulance.
She suffered a mild, stress-related heart attack and was expected to be discharged from hospital today.
Phoenix had been badly affected by watching the house burn and seeing his grandmother fall to the ground, Barbosa said.
“He just kept asking me if his grandma was going to die. It was horrible.”
The family were uncertain about what would happen next as they waited to find out whether their insurance claim would be accepted.
Much of the family’s belongings were destroyed or left smoke-damaged in the blaze.
They had house insurance but not contents insurance.
Their claim remains under review, with Barbosa saying the insurer was waiting for information about the cause of the fire.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand said in a statement that the cause and origin of the blaze were found to be accidental.
Crews were alerted to the fire at 4.27pm.
Firefighting trucks from Woolston, Christchurch City and Anzac responded.
The fire was well involved when crews arrived and was suppressed by 4.50pm.
Barbosa said some clothes inside wardrobes had been recovered but were covered in smoke. The family waited for asbestos testing, which returned negative, before attempting to clean them.
For now, all five are staying with friends – another family of five – meaning 10 people would be sharing one home.
They were trying to find temporary accommodation, particularly as Barbosa’s mother recovers.
The family have house insurance but no contents insurance. They are staying with friends while their claim is assessed.
There were financial pressures too, she said.
She has been given up to a month off work, but said she had no paid leave remaining.
The family still has to meet its mortgage payments of $2934 a month.
A Givealittle page set up by a friend had raised $1920 by the time Barbosa spoke to the Herald.
The family has also received clothes, toys, furniture and other essentials, with Barbosa saying they had little space to store further physical donations.
She said the support from friends and community had given the family hope during an otherwise devastating few days.
“We have wonderful friends who opened their home to us.
“There’s a little point of hope there.”
For now, Barbosa said the priority was their children.
“We just want to give our children some sense of normality, get back into a routine and find somewhere safe for us to stay.”
Rafaella Melo is a multimedia journalist with more than 10 years’ experience in Brazil. She spent two years reporting for Hawke’s Bay Today before joining the NZ Herald’s Christchurch team in 2026.