Arnold Kalnins, 80, has been sleeping on a mattress on the floor of a tool shed since his home was destroyed by fire.
Photo: RNZ / Peter de Graaf

An 80-year-old Northland man is sleeping on a mattress on the floor of a cold, damp shed without power or running water after his house burnt to the ground.

It is just the latest misfortune for Arnold Kalnins, whose home east of Kaikohe had been targetted by burglars and stripped even of its hot water cylinder.

However, Northlanders are now rallying to help, with a steady stream of locals dropping off food and clothing and a Givealittle page aiming to get him back on his feet.

The fire started on Friday night as Kalnins was about to doze off, with his puppies on a blanket beside him.

“I heard a pop, and of course my eyes opened at that instant. And at that very moment there were flames leaping up the wall behind the fire.”

He shooed the puppies to safety then tried to smother the fire with a blanket. He then tried dousing the flames with a pot of water.

Neither had any effect so he went outside to fetch more water.

When he tried to go back inside, however, he realised his efforts were futile.

“As I opened the door the heat was terrific. I felt I couldn’t breathe. And really, at that point I felt a wee bit lost. I thought there’s nothing much I can do.”

Little remains of Arnold Kalnins’ home near Kaikohe after Friday night’s fire.
Photo: RNZ / Peter de Graaf

Kalnins believed the blaze had started in firewood stacked behind the wood burner to dry.

All that survived the blaze were his three puppies and the clothing he was wearing.

He lost his phone, hearing aids, wallet, architecture qualifications, books, furniture and his trusty four-wheel-drive, which was parked next to the house.

He had another car but the keys were also lost in the blaze.

What hurt most, however, was losing family mementoes, like a bible inscribed with a poem written by his father in his native Latvian.

Kalnins did not want to leave the property – he was worried burglars would return – so he was now living in his tool shed.

“At least it keeps the rain out. But it’s full of timber and junk and tools and it’s very dusty. There’s also lots of mice. But it’s where I’m living.”

Kaikohe fire chief Bill Hutchinson said the house was burning fiercely when the brigade arrived, and difficult to access because it was down a long, narrow drive.

He believed Kalnins was lucky to get out alive.

At one point Kalnins had tried to go back in to salvage some belongings.

“But he was beaten back by the smoke and the intense heat from the fire. Unfortunately, he was unable to take any real action against the fire, except to get out with his life and his dogs,” Hutchinson said.

He was concerned Kalnins may have suffered smoke inhalation so had him checked at the scene by St John medics.

Arnold Kalnins outside the remains of his home, just east of Kaikohe.
Photo: RNZ / Peter de Graaf

Kalnins did not want to leave the property so firefighters cleared a space in a shed, found a mattress and some bedding, and did their best to make him comfortable.

Hutchinson urged Northlanders to do what they could to help Kalnins, who had no family in the area.

“He’s an 80-year-old gentleman, he’s currently sleeping on a mattress on the floor of a very cold and damp shed. Effectively he’s lost everything. All he had when we got there was a shirt, a pair of jeans, and that was it. No shoes, no blankets, nothing.”

As word got out about Kalnins’ plight, locals started turning up with gifts of food, blankets and clothing.

While RNZ was at the property several people Kalnins had not met before arrived with donations or offers of help, making him emotional.

“All I can say is that I’m extremely grateful, I just didn’t expect all this … It’s just amazing.”

Kalnins said he had faced adversity before, not least when he was a child and had to flee Latvia with his mother and siblings during World War II.

His father, an army conscript, delivered them to the boat but was unable to go with them.

Kalnins, his mother and surviving sister eventually made it to New Zealand.

He assumed his father had died and only learned he was still alive in the 1990s, after Soviet leader Gorbachev ushered in greater openness and allowed contact with the West.

Kalnins said his first phone call with his father, after believing he had been dead for almost 50 years, was the greatest thrill of his life.

Linda Bracken, of Kaikohe, calls in to offer help to Arnold Kalnins after a house fire forced him to live in his tool shed.
Photo: RNZ / Peter de Graaf

Despite the fire and other setbacks, the 80-year-old vowed he would not give up.

“I’m not going to feel defeated, I’m not going to be bowed down by this, I’ll consider it a challenge. But it is like starting again, which has its difficulties.”

A friend was arranging a caravan for Kalnins to sleep in and Far North mayor Moko Tepania and Deputy Kelly Stratford pledged their support during a chance meeting in Kaikohe.

A Givealittle page set up on Wednesday to help Kalnins back on his feet raised just under $5000 in its first eight hours.