Person and his ailing dog rescued from Tokoroa house fire

Friday, 10 November 2017

Firefighters rescued a critically injured man from a burning home in South Waikato before going back in to pull his dog from the flames.

The sole resident of the Tokoroa house - a man believed to be in his 40s - was found slumped over a bed, unconscious and covered in soot, on Friday evening.

The dramatic double rescue unfolded inside the smoke-filled three-bedroom house on John Street.

Firefighters arrived at 7.45pm to find neighbours concerned about the resident, Tokoroa Fire Chief Dave Morris said.

'We were alerted by neighbours that there was a male occupant who was not seen coming out of the house.'

Firefighters quickly began searching the property, which was full of smoke.

During the search they found the man unconscious and slumped over the bed in one of the bedrooms, he said.

'He was unconscious and in a critical state, covered in black soot.'

The man was taken to Tokoroa Hospital, where he was met by a waiting helicopter and flown to Waikato Hospital in a critical condition.

A hospital spokeswoman said on Saturday morning that he remained in a critical condition. 

The firefighters headed back into the house again, this time to get the dog.

'They managed to carry him out of the house and on to the back lawn, where they administered first aid and oxygen.

'The dog was gasping for air, absolutely full of smoke inhalation.'

An on-call vet was called to check  the pooch, described a short-haired black-and-tan cattle-type breed.

'The vet said he'll live.'

Morris said the entire house had suffered smoke damage, with flame damage to the kitchen and lounge.

Exactly what caused the fire was not yet known, but a fire investigator would look into it.

It appeared the man lived at the three-bedroom house alone, Morris said.

When firefighters arrived, they said they heard the smoke alarms sounding, but for whatever reason, the man was still in the house, by then unconscious.

Crews from Tokoroa and Putaruru - four units all up - attended and by 9.30pm, one crew remained at the scene to aid fire investigators.

Police were also called to the scene and were speaking with neighbours to ascertain the man's identity.