Fire victims getting on with life

A Kakanui family who lost their rented home and virtually all their belongings in a fire last week now want to get on with life.

Anne Liardet and Brendon Ryniker, with their two children, Francis (13) and Eva (10), left their two-storey house early last Thursday for a holiday in Wellington.

At Ashburton, they were telephoned and told their house was on fire.

By the time they got back to Kakanui, the house had been almost destroyed.

Ms Liardet said the family wanted to stay in Kakanui and rent another property.

She praised and thanked the Kakanui community for its support, including a "care package" that included gifts ranging from fruit baskets to vouchers.

"Now, we want to get on with our plans and rebuild our lives," she said.

Otago fire investigator Mike Cahill spoke to the family about a possible cause for the fire.

He said damage to the property was so major that a cause for the fire might never be determined.

"We know it started in an office area on the ground floor, but the damage was such that we could not identify exactly what caused it," he said.

The office contained computers, a facsimile machine and other equipment, but the family said they had switched them off.

 

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