Family flees fire

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32458, 19 November 1970, Page 2

Family flees fire

(N.Z. Pres» Association) HAMILTON, Nov. 18. A woman watched a car pass by without stopping, as flames engulfed her home at a lonely bay of Lake Taupo last night. Mrs W. Edmonds, of Malletts Bay, between Turangi and Taupo, rescued the 11 children in the house, “and two baby’s blankets,” before fire completely destroyed the house. “I couldn’t get near the phone to call for help and the only thing I could think of was that a car would come along,” she said today. “One did, but it went by without stopping.” After fleeing from the house, Mrs Edmonds and the children—two of them her grandchildren huddled in long grass in their nightattire, with only the two baby’s blankets as covering. Asleep in the house when Mrs Edmonds was awakened by the fire, about 11 p.m., were her children, Annette, aged 15; John, aged 14; Reremoana, aged 11; Huia, aged 10; lyki, aged 9; Alison, aged 8; twins, Warren and Chris, aged 6; Tracey, aged 7 months; and her grandchildren, Jackie, aged 1, and Melanie, aged 3. Mrs Edmonds’ husband is . a foreman on the Mangakino ' power-station construction project, and was working at J the time. i “I don’t know how I got the children out,” said Mrs i Edmonds today. “When I saw the fire I suppose I just collected them. My two j eldest girls may have helped , me, but I can’t remember, much. “A couple of the children ] went up the road to get help, < and the rest of us gathered j in the back section. j “The fire was in all direc- [ tions; the roof caved in and then there were only the i bricks,” she said. i The Turangi Industrial i Fire Brigade was called to the 1 fire, but the house had 1 burned down by the time they travelled the 20 miles from Turangi; the cause of s the fire is not yet known. j This morning the family ! was being cared for by rela- ( tives in the area, and several t families were arranging cloth- 1 ing and other assistance. The t house was insured, but not the contents. i