Historic house nearly up in smoke

LYN HUMPHREYS lyn.humphreys@tnl.co.nz - Taranaki Monday, 6 August 2007
Irreplaceable treasures at Parihaka were within minutes of destruction after an electrical fire just after midnight yesterday.
"Another five minutes and it would have gone," Rahotu Volunteer Fire Brigade senior station officer Paul Mundt says. "It was very fortunate no one was inside."
It was lucky that the fire was discovered when a man, who had gone outside for a smoke from another house at the pa, smelt smoke from what he thought was a rubbish fire.
When he investigated, he found it was coming from the outside wall at Te Niho meeting house.
Although the fire brigade was called and was on its way, the flames quickly took hold and were soon leaping higher than the roof of the old tinder-dry building.
"If it had got into the ceiling space, it would have been all over," Mr Mundt says.
But people living on the pa rallied and were able to put out the flames with a bucket brigade before the firefighters arrived.
"They managed to extinguish it before we got there. If they hadn't, she would have been history."
The fire is believed to have started in a meter board on the outside of the meeting house and to have been caused by a combination of old wiring and moisture.
People sometimes stayed overnight at the meeting house, he said.
"It's a good wake-up call to everyone. Smoke alarms may have helped but no one was staying in the building that night."
The brigade intended to go to the pa this week to discuss fire safety.
Papa Kainga trustee Peter Moeahu, who does not live on site, was shocked when hearing of the fire from the newspaper.
He says the taonga on the walls of the Te Niho house include photos of past generations, paintings of the history of Parihaka and large photo prints of the pa's early years.
It also hold greenstone treasures, gifts from visitors both from across New Zealand and overseas - all of which are irreplaceable.
"You could sum it up as the museum of Te Niho."
Mr Moeahu says he will be pleased to meet with the brigade to discuss fire prevention.
Ironically, the South Taranaki Liaison Committee had just approved $8000 for the drawing up of a plan for the redevelopment of Te Niho.