\u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s actually hit all of us yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
She and her partner were the only ones inside when she noticed smoke while watching television about 3pm.<\/p>\n
\u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI woke my partner up and ran to Dad\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
The property engulfed in flames on Tauranga\u2019s Carmichael Rd. <\/p>\n
Her phone was still inside the house so she sprinted down the road to ask a cousin to call emergency services.<\/p>\n
Te Wheoro said fire crews arrived about 20 minutes later but by then the house was fully engulfed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
A fire investigator has since told the family the blaze was accidental, she said.<\/p>\n
Te Wheoro sorted through donations from surrounding hap\u016b and members of the community on Tuesday morning.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe donations from surrounding hap\u016b that I associate with have been awesome, and the community as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Generations of whakapapa were lost in the fire. Photo \/ Zoe Blake<\/p>\n
The family had feared their three cats had died, but one returned on Tuesday afternoon.<\/p>\n
Te Wheoro said she now hoped the other two had simply been frightened and would also return.<\/p>\n
She said she was grateful her children had been next door at her father\u2019s house, and everyone escaped unharmed, but the emotional toll had been immense.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy kids were talking about the fire all last night. I don\u2019t think many of us slept.\u201d<\/p>\n
The house has been deemed unsafe, leaving the family unable to assess what remains.<\/p>\n
Fire and Emergency crews worked for hours to extinguish the blaze and monitor hot spots. Photo \/ Zoe Blake<\/p>\n
Te Wheoro said the family had lost generations of memories.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of our whakapapa has gone.\u201d<\/p>\n
The house, built by her father, had been in the family for three generations.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven the third-generation pool table\u2019s gone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her children are now staying with family in Waih\u012b while she works out what comes next.<\/p>\n
\u201cGathering ourselves now, next step. We know that we can\u2019t replace everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said the home was not insured, but was in the process of being insured before the fire.<\/p>\n
A fire truck at the fire on Tauranga\u2019s Carmichael Rd.<\/p>\n
Fire and Emergency New Zealand northern fire communications shift manager Josh Pennefather said three crews from Tauranga and Greerton responded about 3.20pm.<\/p>\n
The blaze was extinguished about 6pm, with one crew remaining until 7pm to monitor and extinguish hot spots.<\/p>\n