Priest's house gutted by early morning fire
He escaped the Westport floods but Father David Gruschow’s luck ran out when faulty wiring gutted his home and destroyed all his possessions.
Luckily the St Canice’s parish priest was not at home when the fire broke out on Saturday morning.
“The inside is completely munted.”
All his possessions were damaged, but Gruschow felt fortunate to have his dogs with him when the fire happened, and was relieved they were safe.
He now hoped to move into a housekeeper’s flat adjoining the presbytery until his house was repaired.
Fire investigator Craig Piner said the cause was still under investigation, but he believed it was caused by an electrical fault in the switchboard or in the ceiling above.
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⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️