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From issue: Autumn 2003

Fighting Against the Flames

by Kate Edwards

Fire is one of the most devastating threats to heritage buildings. A despairing fire chief, a vicar without a church and a farmer who threw his cat out a window will never forget their feelings of helplessness as beloved old buildings burned to destruction.

Napier chief fire officer Paul Baxter and 60 firefighters were called to a blaze at the Sacred Hear College and Hostel on the city's Bluff Hill on a Saturday morning in June 2001. They controlled the fire after an hour but by then the chapel and 100-year-old convent were lost. A heater left too close to some furnishings caused the fire.

The convent's four residing nuns, aged in heir 60s and 70s escaped unharmed and no one was staying in the hostel because it was school holidays.

Baxter said the convent's destruction was a priceless loss. The lack of sprinklers underlined their importance in historic buildings. "There are dozens of those around the country and we're losing them to fire because once it starts in them there is very little anyone can do."

An early morning blaze in August 2002 destroyed nearly all of the 107-year-old Church of the Annunciation, Renwick, in Marlborough.

The church was cherished by Wairau Valley Anglicans, who worked long and hard to overcome its quirks of old age. One of those is recounted by its vicar, the Rev Stephen White, in his booklet of the history of the church. "Because four guests had become stuck to the pews during a wedding in the summer of 1990, the vicar spent Lent that year scraping and revarnishing all the pews in the church."

Today, White says the arson of the church - by a mentally disturbed man - was a sad event that left most people in disbelief. During the night, his dog had barked, but no intruder was seen. Later, the neighbouring motel owner gave the alarm. The brigade arrived in sufficient time to save the pews and some contents, including a notable stained glass window at the front of the building of Jesus the Good Shepherd. "We could have been left with nothing," white said.

It was difficult for churches with limited finances to contemplate installing sprinkler systems but he said a sprinkler system would be considered for the replacement church, which would incorporate some of the furniture from the original and the Good Shepherd window.

The window was manufactured in 1956 by Messrs Powell & Sons, Whitefriars, London in memory of the windows' donors' handicapped son.

In September 2001, fire engulfed the 1875 Te Kainga homestead at Mangatawhiri in northern Waikato. At home were farmer, Jamie Lyons and his mother, Cherie, but the fire, which started from a fan heater in a bedroom spread too quickly for them to put out. They threw precious possessions, including 10-year-old cat Muppy, out through a window.

Lyons said the fire was not detected by a monitored smoke alarm. The first fire engine arrived after 15 minutes but 70% of the house was damaged.

Members of the family were the first European settlers in the area in 1867. "The house saw a lot of history," Lyons said, "Dad was born there and the house was everything to Mum really." They rebuilt the house in similar style.

Insurer NZI allowed native timbers to be used in the replacement although it was not possible to have the pit-sawn kauri of the old house. Floorboards salvaged from the fire were used in the new lounge and family room and so was the original fireplace.

A sprinkler system was considered for the replacement. However, Lyons said this was discarded because of an installation quote of $50,000 and the practicalities of having tank supply with no constant water pressure and a water pump reliant on electrical power.

These three experiences outlined are not rare. Fire severely damages an average of 38 of New Zealand's heritage buildings each year. A historic building is twice as likely to be totally consumed by fire as a modern one.

This has prompted the Fire Service Commission to work with the Historic Places trust and owners of old buildings on preventing and containing fires. The commissions national manager for community fire safety, Jim Dance, says the Building Code is directed to saving lives not protection of property, so the commission has launched a scheme to address that need. It is offering private owners of heritage buildings advice on cost-effective options for improving fire safety and prevention.

Dance says the advice will be given by the commissions fire engineers around the country but it also has the support of partners in the scheme, including the Historic Places Trust, using its knowledge of old buildings and its experience with designing discreet, appropriate fire protection systems.

Of help to heritage-building owners is a second project the commission has in partnership with Standards New Zealand and the Building Research Association of New Zealand. Dance says the scheme, a fire sprinkler system that uses existing domestic plumbing, has resulted in a highly cost-effective package suitable for historic homes.

It removes the need for the extra piping and equipment that usually bumps the cost of a standard fire sprinkler system beyond the reach of home-owners, Dance says it will effectively contain and extinguish fires, and the commission recommends it for private homes.

It would cost about $1000 installed in a new three-bedroom house. A free advisory service is available to home-owners via a phone helpline.

Arson, carelessness and faulty equipment, especially heating systems, were the major causes of fires. "Our historic buildings and their contents are irreplaceable. It's frightening to see the level of loss in an old home with its dry timber and material that burns readily."

Rural residents are vulnerable to fire because the nearest fire crew could be 15 to20 minutes away. Fire officers says the domestic sprinkler system could be worth considering even if the house water supply comes from tanks because sprinklers have a relatively low flow rate.

The commission's concern for preventing fires in heritage buildings is welcomed by the Trust's national business manager, Kevin Lampen-Smith.

In 2000, the Trust published a booklet on fire safety measures as part of a series on heritage guidelines and the commission was keen to further develop the booklet. Lampen-Smith says the commission's helpline was able to call upon Trust experience in integrating sprinklers without their being noticed in the fabric of the building.

It also could put people in touch with conservation architects if they were planning to renovate. Poor renovations could increase the fire risk.

A further project to save heritage buildings from fire is research on protection for traditional Maori buildings being conducted by the Building Research Association and the trust, with financial support from the Building Research Levy, Fire Service Commission, Building Industry Authority and the Lottery Grants Board.

The research aims to fill gaps in scientific knowledge on the fire properties and fire-growth characteristics of some traditional natural materials used to line the walls and ceilings of wharenui, or meeting houses.

Trust Maori heritage advisers helped the research laboratory to design wall and ceiling linings for experiments that replicated the inside of a wharenui on fire. The laboratory fire room was lined with native timber and woven tukutuku panels and the ceiling lined with toi toi suspended on rafters. The whole lot was destroyed in five minutes, says a fire officer who observed the tests.

Test measurements will be used for a computer model, which will help to more accurately predict fire behaviour in larger buildings.

Trust Maori heritage adviser, Dean Whiting says a range of options will be explored as a second stage to the current project, to reduce the risk of fire and to minimise damage should a fire occur.

"It is important that we can continue to use traditional materials on marae while at the same time ensure the safety of people and marae buildings against fire."

The Trust advocated firewalls between, say, kitchens and meeting houses. Whiting says fire has already claimed one of New Zealand's oldest buildings, Rangiatea Church in Otaki in 1995.

Built between 1848 and 1851 by local Maori tribes, it was of national importance, being associated with Te Rauparaha and the Anglican missionary Octavius Hadfield. The church drew visitors far and wide to admire the skills of its builders, especially the totara pillars, tukutuku panels and kowhaiwhai painting on rafters, and carved pulpit.

"It was a huge loss that brought home the catastrophic impact that fire has on a building and its people," Whiting says. "Its loss has prompted in many ways the work we do now."

A sprinkler system was provided in the replacement church and fears of another arson attempt prompted installation of security surveillance and an alarm system. "We want more places to have better prevention systems. It doesn't have to be a sprinkler system but at least have the basic stuff in place such as fire extinguishers, hose reels and good fire safety practices in using the buildings. It is also important that people know where to get advice from, for example, the Trust and the Fire Service."

Both are promoting to marae committees and trustees the best practice for fire safety, and checks for ageing electrical wiring and provision of smoking areas and safe heating.

Says Whiting: "We must be aware of the importance of preserving these buildings because if you lose them you can't replace them."

Kate Edwards is an Auckland-based writer.