A man broke into his ex-partner’s home late one night as she was getting ready for bed, poured petrol on furniture in the downstairs lounge then set it alight. 

The flames took hold quickly, and soon engulfed the downstairs area of the split-level house perched on a steep hillside street in Nelson. 

One tenant, who had just moved into the rental, escaped by running through the flames and was badly burned. 

The woman, who was preparing for bed, was injured after jumping from the top-floor window. 

A neighbour described the scene, and threat to their own home, as “terrible”. 

The house in Nelson destroyed by David Sparks after he broke in, emptied a fuel can through a room in the lower floor and set it alight. The occupants fled for their lives; one ended up jumping from the top window and another ran through the flames and ended up with serious burns. Photo / Tracy Neal 

They called emergency services, while seeking refuge on the street below. 

“I was really worried – I was that hysterical person dialling 111 and trying to say what was happening,” the neighbour told NZME. 

‘Quick, get out!’ 

David Michael Sparks pleaded guilty in the Nelson District Court on Wednesday to charges of arson, burglary, wounding with reckless disregard and breaching a protection order, almost 10 months after he lit the fire just before 10pm on May 21. 

The neighbour, who called emergency services, said they had just got home from an outing in town. 

“About 10 minutes later, we heard a big noise, looked outside and saw the house fully alight. 

“I just yelled, ‘quick, get out, the house next door is on fire’. It went up so fast.” 

Arrived with can of fuel 

About 9.50pm that night, Sparks went to the address carrying a jerry can of petrol he had bought from a nearby fuel station. 

At the time, he was the subject of a final protection order against the female occupant. 

He went in through a ranchslider door, poured petrol on the sofa and a mat, set it alight then left. 

According to a summary of facts the flames spread quickly because he had used an accelerant. 

Sparks’ former partner occupied the home’s top level, while the new tenant, who had moved in the day before, was in his room on the floor below. 

When he noticed smoke seeping in through the doorway, he opened the door. 

Tenant fled in panic through flames 

The sight of flames made him panic. He ran downstairs and through the fire in an effort to escape. 

His clothes caught fire and despite his efforts to put out the flames, they kept re-igniting. 

He then jumped about 4m off a retaining wall and was helped by the woman who had leapt from the upstairs window when she saw black smoke inside the house, and was unable to get out. 

She injured her ankle when she hit the ground, but found her flatmate on the driveway, still on fire, and used a garden hose to douse the flames. 

He suffered smoke inhalation and burns to 20% of his body, and required treatment in Nelson Hospital’s intensive care unit before he was flown to Hutt Valley Hospital burns unit. 

As well as suffering significant pain, permanent scars and ongoing trauma, he had also lost all his personal belongings in the fire, the summary said. 

The neighbour said they were forced to remain outside on the street until around 2am the next morning. 

Home owner suffered ‘significant loss’ 

The owner of the property had suffered a significant financial loss as the house had been destroyed, as well as significant stress trying to sort out the insurance. 

Sparks was remanded in custody for sentencing on August 18. 

Judge Jo Rielly ordered a pre-sentence report, an alcohol and drug report, a psychologist’s report and instructed the Crown to make the necessary inquiries over Sparks’ request for a referral to Restorative Justice. 

Tracy Neal is a Nelson-based Open Justice reporter at NZME. She was previously RNZ’s regional reporter in Nelson-Marlborough and has covered general news, including court ad local government for the Nelson Mail.