A fire-ravaged house in Caledonian Rd was visited by more than 200 curious locals yesterday in an Oamaru Fire Service initiative designed to increase awareness of fire safety.
A fire originating from the kitchen stove spread quickly on August 9, engulfing the wooden house, which had no smoke alarms, within minutes.
The sole occupant, Ian Hayden, managed to escape the blaze, but his Staffordshire-cross dog Ti-anna died.
The burnt-out shell left an impression on Joel Brosnan, who toured the house with his mother Belinda and brother Benjamin under the watchful eyes of fire officers.
"Not much remains ... It's shocking to think that a fire could do that," he said.
Mrs Brosnan said the open home was a "really good idea".
"People can have an awareness and be more fire-safe themselves," she said.
Fire Risk Management Officer Stu Ide described fire as a "beast of prey" constantly looking for fuel and "willing to take anything in front of it".
"We know it isn't alive, but it seems that way."
Smoke alarms should be tested monthly, he said.
"We'd like to think that every house has them but the reality is no, they haven't. A lot of people have smoke alarms but [the batteries] run out."
Keeping items more than a metre from heaters, staying in the kitchen while cooking, disposing of ashes properly and turning off electrical appliances at the wall were also among his key messages.
Members of the House of Breakthrough church were on site and gave away 30 smoke alarms.
The Fire Service also gave out activity books which encouraged children to plan escape routes from their homes in case a fire.
