A house fire which claimed the lives of a woman and her granddaughter was started when the child's mother left the stove on after using it to spot cannabis. This caused the pot to be dislodged from the stove and fall to the floor, and this caused the fire to spread." "It is probable that it was this pan full of cooking oil that started the house fire," Scott said. I am left to conclude that Nechia turned both the rear elements of the stove on (one by mistake) when she used the stove for spotting cannabis." Some whanau members had to break upper storey windows and jump out to escape, while others went down a wooden fire ladder.

Source: New Zealand Herald February 22, 2017 00:52 UTC