A Christchurch family is picking up the pieces after the Port Hills fires devastated their property, claiming a container-style home and several treasured family items.
Dave Joseph said that the effect of the fire was “devastation”, but not right across the property, which is off Worsleys Rd.
A container home used by Dave Joseph’s niece Anna Spark was in one of the areas destroyed by flames. (Source: 1News)
“Various out buildings, generators, sheds and the likes that were just demolished.”
Other areas escaped the blaze, a garden for Dave’s mother and her parents remained intact despite only being around 3m from the generator that went “sky high.”
Dave Joseph lives at the Worsleys Rd property with his 86-year-old father John, and nieces Anna and Lucy.
Anna lived in a container on the property for about four years, first moving in to help her late grandmother - Dave’s mother and John’s wife.
The container was “totally obliterated” by the fire, becoming the first home to be destroyed by the 650ha blaze.
It was “gone” and “just ashes” when they returned to the property, Dave said.
“It’s as if nothing was in there. Ashes.”
Damage to repair the property would cost around $35-40k, but he said that it wasn’t really the dollar value that mattered.
“We saw a container next to the one Anna was using, with antiques of mum’s and her mum’s, they’re just ashes really.
“It meant a lot, and we’d been saving those things.”
He said he was thankful it wasn't worse and that people were not hurt.
"It wasn't people, it was things, and things are in a different class so I think you ride over it, you just get on basically."
He told 1News it was “another blow” to his father after the 2017 fire destroyed a caravan containing his wife’s diaries and photographs.
“He’s pretty stoic, they have been there 30 years and have a vision for the property, so he’ll stand through anything.
“It's more now what we how we go forward, how we recover and what we do with it really.
"We'll wait for the dust to settle and plan it as a family."
A givealittle fundraising page has been set up to help the family.
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