Father of four dies in house fire

Firefighters talk to a woman outside the Union St house. Photos by Gerard O'Brien.
Firefighters talk to a woman outside the Union St house. Photos by Gerard O'Brien.
A police officer surveys the damage to the house.
A police officer surveys the damage to the house.

A Milton father of four is being mourned after a horrific house fire tore through his Union St home on Saturday morning.

Alan Charles Awanui (57) died after the fire gutted his home about 3.30am on Saturday.

The CIB and a Fire Service investigator were at the scene early on Saturday.

The address remained cordoned off for much of the day and most traffic was being diverted away from the state highway.

Mr Awanui's employer, Dennis Hayes, said the forestry worker was a "true-blue family man''.

"He just loves his family,'' he said.

"He was a good family man.

"He's a very forgiving person. Very quiet - never outspoken.

"He'd have his own quiet way of doing things, very methodical, and he was very trustworthy.''

He lived in the Union St home for several years and had spent decades in the Clutha area.

Mr Hayes was alerted to the fire after a friend saw the blaze. He rushed to the scene soon after.

"It was quite surreal,'' he said.

"It looked like a movie set with people rushing everywhere and lights flashing.

"The roof was smouldering with bursts of flames and flames were coming out the side and smoke was everywhere.

"The whole house was burning - the whole house, not just a room or two.''

The fire had obviously taken hold of the weatherboard villa quickly.

"It must have been a real savage fire at its height,'' Mr Hayes said.

Police were still investigating the cause of the fire on Saturday afternoon and would not comment on whether it was believed to be suspicious.

A St John spokesman said paramedics attended the blaze but no-one was transported from the scene.

A next-door neighbour said he was asleep in his camper van when he was woken by a passing truck driver telling him to get out.

The blaze was raging only metres from where he slept.

"He saw the flames and stopped.

"I need to thank him very much.''

Before he was alerted by the truck driver he "didn't hear a thing''.

"The next thing the fire brigade pulled up.''

Other neighbours in the area also said the blaze erupted quietly and they only became aware of its horrific aftermath when they woke that morning.

"There was nothing,'' another neighbour said of the noise from the blaze.

"I got out of bed at half past six and saw what was going on.

"It's all been very quiet.''

Mr Hayes said Mr Awanui worked in forestry for more than three decades.

"Everyday he would turn up and do the right thing,'' he said.

"He was a top man.

"Whatever he did he was good at in bush work.''

The tight-knit community was "just in shock'', as were many of his co-workers.

"Everybody is finding it hard.''

Mr Awanui would be hard to replace as men of his qualities were rare, he said.

"They are like hen's teeth, guys like that. I don't know what else to say.''

timothy.brown@odt.co.nz

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