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A fire has left a Papakura family in shock and a community rallying around, establishing a Givealittle page to help them rebuild their lives.
While losing almost everything they own, Stefan van der Heijden is thankful that his young family was not harmed.
“Myself, my partner Shaolyn and our two daughters, Sadie (2) and Sasha (5 weeks) are all uninjured, safe and well, [as is] my father, Frans, who was also in the house at the time of the fire,” van der Heijden told the Times.
“We are staying at my parent’s house in Mangere Bridge until we plan the next steps. We are still shaken and coming to terms with everything, which will definitely take time to do.”
As reported previously, the fire broke out at the two-storey Red Hill home in the early hours of May 15. Five appliances from Papakura, Manurewa, Otara and Papatoetoe attended the second alarm blaze.
While the Times understands the cause of the fire is yet to be confirmed, van der Heijden hopes it will motivate people to be vigilant, check smoke alarms and ensure a plan is in place should the worst happen.
“Check everything! What we’re taught about fires really does come into effect so quickly when it is actually happening. Time moves extremely fast, so we are so extremely lucky to still be here to be able to talk about it.”
A player/coach at Drury United FC, van der Heijden appreciates the teamwork required to extinguish the fire and demonstrated by friends – in particular, Liam Hunt and Angela Yuksel, also from Drury United – and the Papakura community in general.
“The firefighters were extremely fast to respond and so professional and helpful – we can’t thank them enough for their efforts,” he adds. “The community has been so super generous, messaging, calling, donating so many things that it is so heartwarming and overwhelming. We are grateful beyond words.”
Hunt has set up a Givealittle page for his friends. Contributions will go directly towards helping the family meet urgent needs. For more information, and to donate, search ‘van der Heijden’ at www.givealittle.co.nz.
