Lake Ōhau fire: up to 50 houses and buildings destroyed

Up to 50 houses and buildings have been “practically destroyed” in the giant fire on Lake Ōhau.

That devastating fact was just revealed by Fire and Emergency NZ Te Kei regional manager Mike Grant.

Speaking to TVNZ’s Breakfast, he said: “We can confirm that between 40 and 50 structures have been left uninhabitable, so they are practically destroyed.

“There is a more detailed assessment to be done, but that raises that number.”

Grant said up to 40 homes had been saved.

The small alpine town of the Mackenzie Basin has been devastated by a fire that remains active.

Waitaki District Mayor Gary Kircher said strong winds fanned the fire overnight.

Speaking to Tim Dower of Newstalk ZB this morning, Kircher said: “Overall, [our focus is] about the people who are being cared for and hopefully they will be able to go see their houses today at some point. “

Four fire crews have been working overnight to protect homes and a tree plantation in the area.

Fire and Emergency Incident Commander Steve Jones said this morning that two of the crews were guarding the remaining homes in Lake Ōhau Village and the other two were working in the Quailburn area.

“Crews had a very busy night as wind speeds increased, dealing with hot spots and flare-ups,” he said.

The Urban Search and Rescue team used a drone at 2 am to identify a “significant number of hotspots”, which will be targeted when helicopters and ground crews begin working in daylight.

“Eleven helicopters and nine ground crews will attack the fire today, and four crews will continue to protect the structure,” Jones said.

Conditions were expected to be challenging, with strong winds forecast throughout the day.

Civil Defense Minister Hon Peeni Henare will visit Ōhau today to meet with affected residents and firefighters.

A large proportion of the village’s houses, at least 20, have been razed, he said.

The winds are expected to rise tonight

Winds are expected to reach 130 km / h in the Mackenzie Basin tonight.

MetService meteorologist Tui McInnes said the region as a whole will experience a strengthening of winds.

“That windy day will turn into quite a windy night.”

McInnes said there will be a respite in the area tomorrow as northwesterly winds will be replaced by much gentler southerly winds.

Meanwhile, firefighters in the Far North have been on standby overnight due to a wildfire.

Four houses were evacuated from Ahipara after a fire broke out on Ngakaroa Rd around 12:45 pm yesterday.

A Fire and Emergency NZ spokesperson said the fire last night was 40 percent contained.

A further assessment of the situation will take place around 8 a.m., he said.