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The brave actions of a quick-thinking east Auckland schoolgirl who alerted staff at McDonald’s Pakuranga that their building was ablaze have been officially acknowledged.
Year 5 St Mark’s Catholic School pupil Harper Davis was waiting at the nearby fast-food restaurant to be picked up by her mum when she smelled and saw smoke inside its playground just before 3pm on May 5.
She didn’t hesitate to alert the restaurant’s staff, who quickly evacuated everyone from the building.
Sadly, despite the best efforts of firefighters, the fire destroyed the building, and its charred remains have since been demolished.
Harper and her mum returned to the scene the day after the fire. Harper spoke to a police officer, who she says asked her what colour the smoke was.
Police publicly announced on June 6 a 12-year-old had been arrested and charged with arson over the incident.
The young person has appeared in the Manukau Youth Court and is on court bail conditions.
Following the blaze, Harper was inundated with requests from teachers at her school to talk to their classes about it.
Children in one class interviewed her to help inform news stories they wrote about it.
St Mark’s Catholic School principal Tracey Kopua previously told the Times: “We are very proud of Harper.
“She showed great maturity by acting so decisively when she spotted danger.
“Goodness knows what could have happened if she hadn’t been there at that moment in time.”
Now, Harper has received official recognition for her brave actions during the fire.
She was recently visited by Pakuranga MP and Health Minister Simeon Brown, who presented her with a certificate “in recognition of her bravery” and praised her actions in a message to local supporters.
“My first focus is always our community here in Pakuranga,” Brown says.
“Many of you will have heard the story of St Mark’s Catholic School student Harper Davis, whose heroic and decisive action during the recent McDonald’s Pakuranga fire ensured no one was harmed.
“I had the pleasure of visiting Harper at school recently to thank her on behalf of the community and present her with a Parliamentary Certificate of Appreciation in recognition of her bravery.”
