Woman recovering after fire ordeal

Crews battle the blaze on Saddle Hill yesterday. Photo by Peter McIntosh
Crews battle the blaze on Saddle Hill yesterday. Photo by Peter McIntosh

A Dunedin woman with internal burning sustained during the Saddle Hill fire is out of intensive care and recovering in a general ward.

Brent Baguley, the owner of Cat's Whiskers Cattery in Fairfield and Allandale Cattery & Kennels in Westwood, said the woman aged in her 40s, who did not want to be named, was his staff member and worked in the Westwood kennel.

Mr Baguley was out of town as Saddle Hill burned yesterday and asked her the woman to evacuate the cats in Fairfield to Westwood, and to retrieve his three dogs from the basement and seven cats from upstairs in his home in "Cleveland Park" in Saddle Hill Rd.

The woman was at Cleveland Park rescuing the animals when she sucked in hot air and burnt the inside of her throat, he said.

"It was sheer heat and she sucked it in and burnt her throat."

At the property the roof of the swimming pool had melted and would have left a toxic fumes in the air.

Mr Baguley said he fought the fire with a garden hose until 4am today.

He and his wife Donna Baguley had owned the house for less than a week, he said.

The house was insured and the main damage was the extensive garden and structures outside, he said.

The fire has now been contained.

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