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A helicopter equipped with thermal imaging and GPS mapping equipment completed an overflight of 3,000 hectares of fire-damaged terrain at Mackenzie on Wednesday morning, allowing crews to focus their efforts on problem areas.
Mackenzie District Council Emergency Operations Center public information manager Chris Clarke said the affected area, which spans a 31-kilometer perimeter, has been refined due to more accurate mapping.
The fire started near the bed of the Twizel River just before noon Sunday and burned trees and brush in Pukaki, on both sides of State Highway 80.
Clarke said weather conditions in the Pukaki Lake area were dry and clear Wednesday with light winds from the south.
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He said the focus for Wednesday was to achieve extinction within a 50-meter radius around the property and access roads, and strengthen the line of control around the perimeter of the fire with ground crews supported by aerial resources and heavy machinery. when necessary. ”
Clarke said access point data from Wednesday morning is still being analyzed.
“Crews are removing fuel sources and using thermal imaging to make sure the fire is completely out within that 50-meter circle to ensure a safety zone around the properties.
“The same principle applies around the entire perimeter of the fire area, using bulldozers to remove fuel sources and provide a firebreak, and helicopters and ground crews to extinguish hot spots around the perimeter that could later erupt.
“Once there is a safe ring around the perimeter of the fire area and a safe zone around each property and the road, the fire can burn itself out.”
Bejon Haswell / Stuff
Firefighters fight the flames on August 31.
How long it would take to extinguish the fire depended on the weather, he said.
Meanwhile, Alpine Energy restored power to all affected properties overnight Tuesday.
Alpine Energy CEO Andrew Tombs said five power poles were destroyed in the fire and five cable termination points would also need to be replaced along State Highway 80.
Contractors would work to replace cable termination points and power poles Wednesday night, he said.
“In the scheme of things it’s not a big blackout, people in the area need to treat all the electrical infrastructure in the area as live.”
Clarke said property owners in the fire zone attended a safety briefing Tuesday and were able to access their homes.
Joanne Holden / Things
Snow in Pukaki on September 1 helped put out the fire.
“We thank them for their understanding and cooperation while they have been displaced.”
He said SH80 remained open to traffic, subject to speed restrictions for safety reasons, while a threat to Twizel Township or Mount Cook Village was expected.
New Zealand Fire and Emergency Incident Controller (Fenz) Rob Hands and Mackenzie District Mayor Graham Smith are scheduled to hold meetings with the public Wednesday on Twizel in the Event Center at 3pm. and Aoraki / Mt Cook Community Hall at 6.30pm to answer questions from the community about ongoing fire management and the long-term implications.
