[ad_1]
Firefighters will return to the scene of a massive Pukaki fire on Thursday after an overnight break.
New Zealand Fire and Emergency Incident Controller (Fenz) Rob Hands said crews had been on the ground again Wednesday morning with heavy machinery to ensure hotspots had been extinguished.
Bejon Haswell / Stuff
A wild pine fire near Aoraki / Mt Cook National Park on August 31, 2020.
A helicopter equipped with thermal imaging and GPS mapping equipment also completed an overflight of the more than 3,000 hectares of fire-damaged terrain, allowing crews to focus their efforts on problem areas of the fire, which broke out around 11:25 a.m. am on Sunday.
A cabin and outbuildings at Pukaki Downs Station were destroyed in the fire, which burned on both sides of State Highway 80. Residents of at least six other properties were evacuated as it quickly spread and threatened their homes.
READ MORE:
* Fire crews focus on critical points in the Mackenzie fire
* The owners of the Mt Cook resort feared they had lost everything when a huge fire was brewing in Pukaki.
* Focus on buffering hot spots from the Pukaki fire
Crews would return to fight the blaze at 7 am Thursday, Hands said.
Meanwhile, Twizel residents attended a public meeting Wednesday where they were briefed by Hands and Mackenzie District Mayor Graham Smith.
About 45 residents attended the meeting, and Hands said there was applause as attendees received a summary of how the emergency response unfolded.
“I explained a bit why we did what we did and took the opportunity to talk about risk reduction,” he said.
Bejon Haswell / Stuff
Firefighters fight the flames on August 31.
On Wednesday, crews removed fuel sources and used thermal imaging to make sure the fire was completely out within a 50-meter circle to ensure a safety zone around the properties, he said.
Climatic conditions in the Pukaki Lake area were dry and clear with light winds from the south.
“We had a little bit of sun on our back that allowed the sun to disappear, so we could see what we have to do.”
Mackenzie District Council Emergency Operations Center public information manager Chris Clarke said the affected area, which extended to a 19-mile perimeter, had been refined due to more accurate mapping.
How long it would take to extinguish the fire depended on the weather, he said.
Alpine Energy restored power to all affected properties overnight Tuesday. Chief Executive Officer 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 and contractors would work to replace the cable termination points and the power poles for last night, he said.
Joanne Holden / Things
Snow in Pukaki on September 1 helped put out the fire.
Clarke said property owners in the fire zone attended a safety briefing Tuesday and were able to access their homes.
“We thank them for their understanding and cooperation while they have been displaced.”
He said SH80 remained open to traffic on Wednesday, subject to speed restrictions for safety reasons, while there was no current or anticipated threat to Twizel Township or Mount Cook Village.
