The news here in EnZed has been full of this neighbourhood tradgedy, and locally school kids have, of their own initiative, begun fundraisers to send money over the Tasman.

A poignant story - I was in a shop the other day and on the counter was a red see-through heart with money in it collecting money for the Heart Foundation. A 3-4 year old was standing nearby with his mum and kept pointing and asking if that was for the fire-people.

Some of you have asked if this was arson. The investigators say some fires were deliberately lit, they are treating the starting points of fires as criminal investigation scenes and if caught, are promising that arsonists will be charged with murder.