Investigation continues into cause

About 20 firefighters battled a double garage fire in Blenheim last night where flames came perilously close to damaging a neighbouring house.

Three crews from Blenheim and one from Renwick volunteer fire brigades were called to a Burleigh Rd address last night just after 7pm following multiple 111 calls about a fire.

A woman and two young children living in the house were unharmed, but their garage was seriously damaged.

Blenheim Volunteer Fire Brigade senior station officer Ross Bailey was one of the first on the scene after seeing a "very visible glow" on his way to the station.

When he arrived at the scene, flames were "substantial" and there was "quite a good plume of smoke going up".

"We were greeted with a double garage that had flames coming out the roof and out the rear – it was well involved."

Mr Bailey said the fire began in the back of the garage, which was about 10 metres from the resident's house but only "metres" from the neighbouring property.

It was fortunate the fire did not spread to either the house on the property or the neighbour's, he said.

"Luckily there was no wind, so the flames were going straight up."

Furniture, household items and a wood pile in the garage were destroyed, but a car under repair escaped major damage.

The boundary fence was also destroyed.

Blenheim Volunteer Fire Brigade chief fire officer Rob Dalton said about 20 firefighters battled the blaze, and an additional crew from Picton were on standby.

Mr Dalton said the "substantial" fire was under control within about 15 minutes but firefighters were there until 10pm dampening down hot spots and working on the investigation.

Jasmine Wilson, who lives three houses away from the fire, said she arrived home to find about 15 people standing on the street and "tons of firefighters".

Another witness said he saw "flames shooting higher than the house itself".

Mr Dalton declined to comment on the cause or whether the fire was suspicious, as an investigation was continuing.

He was unsure if the residents had insurance, but "he hoped so".

By CLAIRE CONNELL and SIMON WONG - The Marlborough Express
Last updated 13:00 03/05/2010

Arsonist hits The Blue Door

An early-morning fire was not the present staff at The Blue Door secondhand store were expecting as they celebrated its 12th birthday at the weekend.

The Blenheim Volunteer Fire Brigade responded to a call about 5.50am on Saturday after a man walking to work noticed items left outside the store were alight.

Blenheim Volunteer Fire Brigade chief fire officer Rob Dalton said it appeared the items had been set alight and the fire was being treated as suspicious.

Senior station officer Ross Bailey said the items, including a mattress, bed and carpet, had been left outside the store in Charles St after hours.

Only minor damage was done to the window, and there was some smoke damage to the exterior, because the flaming mattress was pulled away from the building by the man who reported the fire.

Blue Door manager Sandra Kirk said the items were probably worth about $150.

Mrs Kirk said items were often dumped outside the store during weekends and she was surprised that it had not happened before.

"We've seen parties around here and even people sleeping here, but never a fire."

Mrs Kirk said The Blue Door would celebrate its birthday regardless of the fire.

"You don't let little things like this get the better of you."

Senior Sergeant Ciaran Sloan, of the Blenheim police, said inquires were continuing.

By SIMON WONG - The Marlborough Express

Last updated 13:00 03/05/2010

Stallholders take control of market

The reins of one of Blenheim's pioneering markets was handed over in a short and rainy ceremony on Saturday giving stallholders full ownership of the market for the first time.

The Redwoodtown Market was set up by Blenheim South Rotary Club 28 years ago but has only now handed over responsibility and management of the market to the stall-holders, with funds going to the Marlborough Hospice.

Owner of James' Nursery and stall-holder for 11 years, Philip James welcomed the change and hoped it would further promote the market.

"We need to keep moving forward or we run the risk of becoming stagnant. Hopefully, we'll grow more working with the hospice."

Mr James said the reason he comes back every week is simple.

"We get a lot of the same people coming to the market every week – it's like a community within a community.

"The people here help each other out. You can leave money on the table and just walk away; there's a lot of trust."

In a speech to the stallholders, president of Blenheim South Rotary Cheryl West said one of the significant features of the Redwood Market was the loyalty of those who frequent it. Graeme Dowling, 81, began selling pumpkins at the market 28 years ago. A time, he says, when people thought the community market would fail.

"They thought this market would fold, but it's still going strong and still will, too. [The change] will give it a new life for another 20 or 30 years."

"I wouldn't miss [the market] for anything. I'm going to keep coming for as long as I can."

By SIMON WONG - The Marlborough Express

Last updated 12:13 03/05/2010

Award a surprise for community constable

A Blenheim policeman was the target of a covert operation in which he was awarded a fellowship for his work within the community and with youth.

Community Constable Russ Smith said he was "caught by surprise" when he was awarded the Paul Harris Fellowship by the Blenheim South Rotary at a ceremony last week.

Mr Smith, a policeman for 28 years, said he thought he was at the ceremony to give a presentation about the Cactus Programme for Youth in Marlborough – one of the many groups he is involved with.

"I don't think I've ever sweated that much in my life," he said about receiving the award.

"It's nice to receive something from the people and it's nice to see that some people appreciate what is being done throughout the community."

Mr Smith sees his role as a community constable as being a conduit between the community and the police.

He works with a number of youth oriented programmes, including the Moth Outdoor Education Programme, Marlborough Safer Communities and restorative justice programme Turnaround.

"The aim is for them to become good citizens. It's about building confidence and leadership skills as well as encouraging them to act and think outside the box."

Despite winning the award, Mr Smith strongly believes volunteers are the key to the success of such programmes.

"I can't take credit for all of these things, I couldn't do it without the help of the community.

"It's the good people who volunteer and labour away in the background that make these things happen."

Mr Smith said working with youth can be rewarding.

"Kids are really responsive, you kind of know automatically if you're making an impact. With adults it's a bit harder."

Paul Harris Fellow recognition was created in memory of Paul Harris, the founder of Rotary, in recognition of long and meritorious service to the community.

By SIMON WONG - The Marlborough Express

Last updated 12:13 03/05/2010

Retailers told to be vigilant

Marlborough businesses should let the police be their "bully boys", says community constable Russell Smith of Blenheim police.

Speaking to about 30 Marlborough business people as part of a Marlborough Chamber of Commerce and New Zealand Retailers Association police seminar on Friday morning, Mr Smith said local businesses needed to be vigilant in their security systems to lessen the chances of them becoming victims of crime.

He said the police were there to deal with people causing trouble, especially those who were violent or volatile. "Let us be your bully boys and let us take the problem away."

Mr Smith said shops could put several practices in place to deter potential opportunistic thieves.

These included rearranging the store layout so every part of the store could be seen, making sure the store was well lit, making sure customers were acknowledged as soon as they walked in, placing the till near the entrance, and installing security cameras.

"Believe me, opportunists learn very quickly if there are places they can go and get out without being seen."

Mr Smith said that if a potential thief thought they were being watched, could be seen or thought there were security cameras, it deterred them.

Mr Smith said big displays were a "mecca" for shoplifters, as staff were less likely to notice if products went missing from them. Likewise, expensive goods should be locked up.

He suggested keeping stock tidy and having a checking system so staff would know if something was missing.

Mr Smith said it was important that staff knew what to do if they suspected someone was shoplifting.

If their "spidey sense was tingling", they should call the police, he said.

But he warned them to remove themselves from the situation if a suspect became violent. In that case, the worker should either get the registration of the vehicle the suspect left in, or follow them at a safe distance and note down what the person was wearing and any distinctive features.

Mr Smith said the best idea was to follow a suspect outside and ask them to accompany a staff member back into the office, then call the police.

He offered to run free courses for businesses that wanted their staff to learn how to deal with different situations.

Farmers retail manager Anne Kenny said the seminar was very good, as it reinforced many of the business practices the department store had in place.

She said the seminar provided great ideas for businesses about how to protect themselves.

Retailers association regional manager Brian Finlayson plans to run a seminar on GST in June.

The Marlborough Express

Last updated 13:00 03/05/2010

Behind every successful firm...

They are arguably the unseen force that keeps any business running smoothly and two were recognised as the best in their field in a ceremony last week.

Debbie Elsmore and Sharon Hansen both won the Administrator of the Year award at a dinner held by the Association of Administrative Professionals.

The award caught Mrs Elsmore, who works for both Powell Contracting and Marlborough Day Spa, by surprise.

"I was pretty shocked. I just thought it was going to be a dinner and an inspirational talk."

Mrs Elsmore said she probably keeps both businesses running "on the paperwork side of things" and has never felt undervalued.

Kelly Powell, owner of the Marlborough Day Spa, believes business would not be what they are without administration staff.

"Debbie almost believes the business is hers. She went away for about a year, and to be honest, we couldn't find anyone near her standard. "

Among the prizes Mrs Elsmore won were an Air New Zealand voucher, Montana wine and a Copthorne Hotel dinner voucher.

By SIMON WONG - The Marlborough Express

Last updated 13:00 03/05/2010

Warnings 'not working'

The campaigns warning people not to drink and drive are not working, according to Blenheim police.

Senior Sergeant Ciaran Sloan said that on average, one person a day was processed for drink-driving in Marlborough, including four during the weekend.He said there was no pattern to drink-drivers.

"It's just across the board. Across the genders and across the ages."

Mr Sloan said an 18-year-old female factory worker was processed with a breath alcohol level of 761 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath late on Friday night. The legal limit is 150mcg for people under 20 and 400mcg for those over that age.

On Saturday, a 21-year-old male builder had a positive result of 597mcg of alcohol per litre of breath, and yesterday an 18-year-old male beneficiary was processed for 517mcg and a 44-year-old male supervisor was processed with 457mcg.

Mr Sloan said he hoped people would start to heed warnings by police and other organisations about the dangers of drink-driving.

The Marlborough Express

Last updated 13:00 03/05/2010