'Unbelievable relief' - Beloved pet cat, lamb reunited with owners after Lake Ōhau fire

October 7, 2020

The blaze near Twizel started on Saturday and is still burning.

The owners of a Lake Ōhau bed and breakfast are overjoyed after their beloved pet cat and lamb were found alive after fire tore through their property.

Multiple homes were destroyed after a fire burned through nearly 6000 hectares at Lake Ōhau, in the Mackenzie District. The fire started on Saturday night. 

Despite the "turmoil and heartbreak," The Barn in Killin Bed and Breakfast co-owners Dwayne Rennie and Hugh Spiers has described feeling "unbelievable relief" after finding Gladys the lamb and Coco the cat alive after "a mad dash" onto their property with a fire engine escort on Tuesday night.

"We drove through our property in fading light desperately wanting to see the devastation to our home and land, but tried to just focus on the mission of rescuing our pets," Rennie said today on Facebook.

Gladys was found after bleating in response to Spiers' calls from her pen, after which she quickly downed 2 litres of milk formula.

Coco was found after Rennie heard a cat "crying in the darkness," followed by Coco running up to him.

The pair's family is hoping to return to the remains of their home at daylight to "take in the full extent of the devastation" in order to "regroup and figure out how we go about a new beginning," Rennie said.

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