FIREMEN nipped a potential house fire in the bud and got there “in the nick of time” to do it yesterday afternoon.

They were called to a house in Hirini Street in Kaiti at 4pm, when a fire started in weatherboards worked on by a painter.

Senior Station Officer Mike Milne said the painter was using a hot air gun to strip paint when the heat started a small smouldering fire in a section of rotten wood.

“We used his scaffolding to get at the fire site and used a handsaw to cut a way through the weatherboards so we could get at it.”

“We tried to use as little water as possible to avoid damaging the interior of the house, and managed to get the fire out before it could take a good hold.”

It was fair to say they “got there in the nick of time”, they said.

Damage was limited to the hole they had to cut in the weatherboards, and to some minor electrical wiring damage in the interior of the home.

The incident served as a reminder of the risks associated with paint-stripping using heat equipment.

“People burning off paint need to make sure they follow a few simple precautionary steps.

“Make sure they have a hose handy.

“Make sure they wait around for an hour or two before leaving a work site where they’ve been using a heat gun.”

Senior Station Officer Milne said in this case the painter was still at the scene and he raised the alarm with the fire service.

It was also important to check insurance cover to make sure any damage relating to painting stripping was covered, he said.

“The homeowner in this case had the right insurance cover, so that’s good.”