Napier brothers brave heat to rescue woman

New Zealand: Three Napier brothers ran through a shower of hot, falling ash to wake neighbours and rescue an elderly woman from her burning home.

Their actions, and those of other neighbours, who forced their way into the burning villa, have been hailed as life-saving by emergency crews who attended the blaze that left a Nelson Crescent home unliveable.

Brothers Tyrone Dodd-Edwards, 14, Watene Dodd-Robertson, 17, and Mitchell Dodd-Edwards, 20, were woken by their mother's screams about 12.30am yesterday when what she thought was the sound of running water turned out to be a house on fire across the street.

"She went into the front room to close the windows and thought she heard water running," Tyrone said.

"Then she looked outside and saw the fire and started screaming to get the phone to call 111.

The house was well ablaze when emergency services arrived.

"Me and my brothers just sprinted out and ran over and were knocking and yelling at all the neighbours to get out because there was just burning ashes falling everywhere.

"I ran down the side of the house and it was so hot and all the ash was falling on me and I could see the lady asleep inside but the door was locked."

Watene said there was a lot of panic and shock as people woke and watched the flames spread, and wind carry hot ashes onto neighbouring properties.

"Even just standing on the driveway it was hot as," Watene said.

"It was pretty scary."

A large phoenix palm against the front of the house had caught fire, and flames spread to the wooden villa. Other neighbours who had been woken by the boys had gathered on the street and one man, who did not want to be named, forced the door open and coaxed the frightened woman out.

"She didn't want to leave," the man's sister told Hawke's Bay Today. "So my brother had to calmly talk to her even though people were yelling to pick her up and carry her, and the whole side of the house was on fire and spreading.

"Eventually she came down and he just led her by the arm away from it."

The woman was uninjured, but understood to be very shaken and upset. She spent the night at another neighbour's home. It was believed she was not insured.

Hawke's Bay police Constable Mal Jonasen praised the effort, which he believed had saved the elderly woman's life.

- nzherald.co.nz