Carbon Monoxide Alarm Saves Family From Hidden House Fire

A carbon monoxide detector alerted a family in Kelson, Lower Hutt, to a hidden fire beneath their home during the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Annemarie van der Slot-Verhoeven reported that the alarm triggered around 2 a.m., despite the absence of visible smoke or flames inside the residence. The family had encountered a smoky scent earlier that evening, which they attributed to open windows and their wood burner.

Before retiring for the night, the family verified that their smoke alarms and CO detector batteries were functional. When the alarm sounded hours later, van der Slot-Verhoeven woke the household and opened the windows, noting that the wood burner was extinguished and the charcoal was inactive.

The source of the danger became apparent only after van der Slot-Verhoeven stepped outside and observed smoke emanating from the deck. While she contacted emergency services, her husband and son began drenching the area.

Emergency Response and Structural Damage

Emergency responders arrived within 15 minutes. Firefighters identified extreme heat beneath the flooring and, upon opening the deck, discovered a smouldering fire located directly under the fireplace.

The fire had reached temperatures of approximately 200C, burning through one structural joist and damaging another. Van der Slot-Verhoeven stated that the family was “right on time” to detect the smouldering heat before it ignited into a full fire.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand cautioned that fires can often smoulder out of sight, leaving residents unaware of the danger. The agency noted that in certain instances, standard smoke alarms may fail to activate if there is little to no smoke present.