Some South Island legends took on a fire at their local pub on the West Coast last night with a makeshift fire extinguisher that only Kiwis could think of.
Volunteer firefighter Ian Mulholland was headed home from Westport around 6:15pm when he spotted the blaze at Seddonville Hotel and kicked straight into action.
After checking no one was inside, he called 111 and let them know he was gonna handle it himself.
"I told them I was going to the station to get the fire engine and to get [nearby small town] Granity on the way as well,” he recalled to RNZ.
Within ten minutes, they were back with two trucks and another firefighter, but by then, the fire was almost out thanks to a bunch of locals who tackled it with the bevvies.
"Our locals were actually opening bottles of beer, shaking them, and putting the fire out."
Dean White, who manages the hotel, reckons it took about half a dozen crates of beer bottles to stop the flames.
“The poor bugger that was grabbing them from the chiller, I didn't like the look on his face, he was a bit sad every time he passed a full beer out,” he said.
Dean added: “He wasn't too happy but we got the result we needed."
“Sometimes you've just got to do what you've got to do, but it worked. It saved the day so that's all that matters."
Three hours later, all the hot spots were under control thanks to the Seddonville firefighters.
Luckily, no one got hurt, and Ian knew timing was the make or break.
"Another five minutes and it would have been a totally different story!”
If everyone hadn’t jumped in so quickly, there was a high chance the pub could’ve been gone.
While the pub is dealing with “minor fire damage”, the owner has thanked the locals and Ian for stepping in to “avoid what could have easily been a total disaster of a fire.”
"We will be back open again as soon as we are able, with cold beer," the Facebook post said.
