Gisborne police bosses are praising the actions of a constable who averted a potentially fatal fire at a local house yesterday.
The incident began yesterday morning when an eight-year-old local boy was on a bus on his way to a school holiday programme. He got off at the wrong stop, became confused as to where he was and rang police.
Constable Ants Mackintosh picked up the boy and took him home. On arrival at his house, Mr Mackintosh opened the door and found the house filled with smoke and a large pot on fire on the stove.
He picked up the pot and threw it outside. After further searching the house, he found the boy’s grandmother asleep on a couch. He took her outside and put the fire out in the pot.
Mr Mackintosh said if he had arrived five minutes later, the house would have been well alight.
“It was just pure luck that I arrived when I did. Thankfully no-one was harmed and the only damage was a bit of smoke throughout the house,” he said.
Tairawhtii Area Commander Inspector Sam Aberahama said the constable’s quick thinking probably saved the woman’s life.
“This was fantastic work by Ants and is a great example of how diverse our job is. Our aim is to keep the community safe and Ants has gone the extra mile to do this. We are very proud of him,” Mr Aberahama said.
The boy’s grandmother did not suffer any injuries.
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