“I don’t think it’s actually hit all of us yet.”
She and her partner were the only ones inside when she noticed smoke while watching television about 3pm.
“I ran out, and there was this little fire. I grabbed the closest thing I could, which was a water bottle, and put that on it.”
She ran inside to refill it, but when she returned, the wind had pushed flames further across the house, and they could not be contained.
“I woke my partner up and ran to Dad’s house to get a bucket. By the time I got back out, it was just too much. There was black smoke and half of the house was going.”
The property engulfed in flames on Tauranga’s Carmichael Rd.
Her phone was still inside the house so she sprinted down the road to ask a cousin to call emergency services.
Te Wheoro said fire crews arrived about 20 minutes later but by then the house was fully engulfed.
“There were gas canisters over in the corner. As soon as I came back from asking my cousin to ring, all you heard was this big boom, and then it was all up in flames.”
A fire investigator has since told the family the blaze was accidental, she said.
Te Wheoro sorted through donations from surrounding hapū and members of the community on Tuesday morning.
“The donations from surrounding hapū that I associate with have been awesome, and the community as well.”
Generations of whakapapa were lost in the fire. Photo / Zoe Blake
The family had feared their three cats had died, but one returned on Tuesday afternoon.
Te Wheoro said she now hoped the other two had simply been frightened and would also return.
She said she was grateful her children had been next door at her father’s house, and everyone escaped unharmed, but the emotional toll had been immense.
“My kids were talking about the fire all last night. I don’t think many of us slept.”
The house has been deemed unsafe, leaving the family unable to assess what remains.
Fire and Emergency crews worked for hours to extinguish the blaze and monitor hot spots. Photo / Zoe Blake
Te Wheoro said the family had lost generations of memories.
“A lot of our whakapapa has gone.”
The house, built by her father, had been in the family for three generations.
“Even the third-generation pool table’s gone.”
Her children are now staying with family in Waihī while she works out what comes next.
“Gathering ourselves now, next step. We know that we can’t replace everything.”
She said the home was not insured, but was in the process of being insured before the fire.
A fire truck at the fire on Tauranga’s Carmichael Rd.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand northern fire communications shift manager Josh Pennefather said three crews from Tauranga and Greerton responded about 3.20pm.
The blaze was extinguished about 6pm, with one crew remaining until 7pm to monitor and extinguish hot spots.
A Givealittle page has been launched by Te Wheoro’s brother, Te Rei Rei Te Wheoro, to help his family recover.
The money will help cover household essentials, food, furniture, clean-up costs and temporary accommodation as the family rebuilds.
Zoe Blake is a multimedia journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post.