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House fire leaves teen in critical state (1:59)
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Teenager severely burned in Rotorua house fire
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Teenager severely burned in Rotorua house fire
A teenage boy remains in a critical condition with burns to 70%
of his body following a house fire in Rotorua last night.
Firefighters said the house on Meadowbank Corner in Fordlands
was completely gutted when they arrived just after midnight, and on
the verge of collapsing.
A man and his six-month old baby escaped the inferno but a
14-year old boy struggled to get out.
He was eventually rescued by firemen as the house collapsed
around them.
The duty manager at Middlemore Hospital said today that the
teenager is stable but critically ill in the hospital’s intensive
care unit.
The boy suffered severe burns to his head, face, arms, chest and
back as well as lacerations to his arms and back from jumping out
the house window to escape the fire.
He was flown to Waikato Hospital around 1am yesterday before
being transferred to Middlemore Hospital.
The family dog died in the blaze and neighbours buried it behind
the remains of the house.
While the fire is not being treated as suspicious, Fire Safety
says the serious injuries could have been avoided with a simple
battery in the smoke alarm.
“I understand there was a smoke alarm in the home but it was not
working. We really want to reinforce ‘you need a working smoke
alarm and escape plan in your home’,” Fire Safety officer Stuart
Cradock said.
Neighbours say the family, who were renting the house, have lost
everything and need the help of the community.
“If anyone can help them out, because they lost everything in
the fire and they’ve got nothing left, it would be much
appreciated,” said Jayden Wharepapa.
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Article source: http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/teen-burned-in-rotorua-house-fire-remains-critical-4857306