Up to 50 structures may have been lost in Lake Ōhau village, says mayor

Up to 50 structures in Lake Ōhau village may be uninhabitable as a result of the devastating fire that continues to burn, says the mayor of Waitaki.

Gary Kircher said Stuff he had heard the number of damaged structures from Fire and Emergency NZ. She believed another 40 had survived.

“[It is] absolutely devastating for the community, but a lot of people even yesterday (Sunday) were already talking about reconstruction, “he said.

Residents have an information session at 9 a.m., where they will be shown maps that can identify which houses have left, Kircher said.

READ MORE:
* Witness describes scenes of devastation at Lake Ōhau
* Remote Lake Ōhau an increasingly popular place
* High winds will continue to be a problem in the devastating Lake Ohau shooting

“I think it’s quite a surreal situation for them and something they even realize is [it is] It’s going to take a day or two to fully absorb it, “he said.

Kircher said it was a “minor miracle” that no one was hurt.

“The reality is that another 15 or 20 minutes could have been a very different story.”

Kircher had already heard several stories of heroism, including a man who woke up with his dog around 3 a.m. Sunday.

“He got out, opened the door and saw an orange wall coming towards the village, he fired and set the village alarm and that helped get a lot of people out of bed and then residents went door to door to make sure everyone they were conscious and could get out.

“Actions like that that have helped save lives.”

Kircher said the community response showed a “pretty good presence of thought.”

“But I also think it’s a testament to the community’s plan for such an event … they were well prepared, they had done their internships and so on. They knew if there was a fire or some other event, they knew what the siren meant and so on.

“A lot of things were put together to make it work, but luckily when it was needed it worked and they all came out.”

Eleven helicopters, nine ground crews to fight the fire on Monday

An urban search and rescue team has been deployed and a better damage assessment was expected in Lake Ōhau village around noon on Monday.

The team flew a drone over the fire-impacted areas at 2 am Monday and identified “a significant number of hotspots,” Fire and Emergency NZ confirmed. Those areas would be attacked Monday morning.

Four crews worked to protect the property overnight. Two teams were protecting what was left in Lake Ōhau village, while the other two were in the Quailburn area.

“Crews had a very busy night as wind speeds increased, dealing with hot spots and outbreaks,” said New Zealand Fire and Emergency Incident Commander Steve Jones.

MetService spokeswoman Melissa Oosterwijk said gusts in the area overnight reached between 60 and 65 km / h and there was no rain.

MetService has issued a strong wind warning for Canterbury High Country from 10 am on Monday to 9 am on Tuesday, and the northwest gales are expected to reach 120 km / h in the morning and reach 130 km / h in the afternoon.

Temperatures in Ōhau were expected to be around 20 ° C on Monday, he said. At 6.40am, nearby Lake Pukaki was already at 16 ° C.

Civil Defense Minister Peeni Henare will spend Monday in Ōhau.

‘The weeds have created hell’

A farmer near Lake Ōhau warns that the Scots pine problems in the South Island and the Mackenzie Basin must be solved before people die.

Glenbrook owner Simon Williamson, who had debris fell on his property from the nearby fire, said he had received reports from people passing the fire area that the cattle had died or were “burned and scorched.”

“We won’t know [how many stock have been lost] until people can return to the area, “Williamson said.

He believed that the abundance of Scots pines in the area had fueled the fire, as did the Lake Pukaki fire about a month ago and “four or five” other fires occurring right now around New Zealand.

“At some point, there will be a massive loss of life,” he said.

“It is happening in places that are not being grazed. It is mostly Conservation Department land or places where the city council makes any development impossible.”

“The weed has created a hell.”

Williamson said the Scots pine situation was “frustrating.”

“Why aren’t they working with the people who run this land?

“Farmers are trying to take care of the land, but we are fighting a green crowd that does not want livestock.”

‘Monster Orange Maelstrom’

A bed and breakfast business in Lake Ōhau confirmed in a Facebook post on Monday that they lost their home.

The Barn at Killin said the family running the business was safe and being cared for by friends.

Owner Hugh Spiers said Stuff the experience was like many horror movies in one.

“The smoke, the heat, the sparks, and the unfamiliarity, but yet in the back of your mind, there’s a ray of hope that says ‘oh, this will be fine in the morning.’

“But is not.”

The Facebook post said that “the family’s home and business and a lifetime of memories are gone apart from the clothes we are wearing.”

“The dream escapes me and I cannot shake the taste of smoke from my mouth or close my eyes without seeing a monstrous orange maelstrom roaring towards us.”

The post thanked friends, the community, and guests around the world for their messages of support.

Spiers said he maintained a positive attitude after the fire.

“Where are my glasses, where is my watch, where is my wallet, is everything burned,” he said.

“You can’t buy underwear at Twizel … you can buy socks, but you can’t buy underwear.”

The owner of the Benmore station, Andrew Sutherland, said that while they had been planning the possibility of moving shares on Sunday, until now they had not needed it.

However, they were briefly observing the situation.

“We could have dodged a bullet, but we can still see the fire from where we are,” Sutherland said.

“We have heard of many properties that have been seriously affected.”

‘Still very active’

As of late Sunday, 11 helicopters and seven ground crews were still fighting the blaze, which was described shortly before 6 p.m. as “still very active” by Fire and Emergency Incident Controller Graeme Still.

“The scene on the ground was not pretty.

“It was like a war zone to be honest in the village.”

All residents were accounted for, but were unable to return to the village on Sunday to assess the damage due to high winds, Still said.

“I am well aware of how annoying this is to residents. Their safety is our primary concern at this time.”