"It is probable that it was this pan full of cooking oil that started the house fire," Scott said. Some whanau members had to break upper storey windows and jump out to escape, while others went down a wooden fire ladder. A second fire escape ladder had rotted away and never been replaced due to Housing Corporation policy to make fire escape routes user friendly for all people. "The escape routes from this house were designed to be the two internal stairways and the three doors from the ground storey exiting the house." "When it comes to a fire surely the more escape routes the better, even if some of these cannot be used by all people all the time."

Source: Otago Daily Times February 22, 2017 01:18 UTC