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Stacy Squires / Stuff
A helicopter drops water on a brush fire in Port Hills in Christchurch on Tuesday.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) banned fireworks in Christchurch after teams were called in for two more suspicious fires.
The latest fires were reported near Sumner shortly after 2 a.m. Wednesday.
A spokesman said that two small fires of no more than 25 square meters were extinguished in 30 minutes.
Both were believed to be suspects, although the cause was not yet clear. There was no damage to houses or property, and there were no injuries.
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In a statement, Christchurch area commander Dave Stackhouse said Fenz was banning the use of fireworks under section 52 of the Fire and Emergency Act.
The section allows Fenz to restrict activities that could start or spread fire.
The ban, which also covers Akaroa, Bottle Lake, and Port Hills, will go into effect at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
JOSEPH JOHNSON / THINGS
Firefighters and helicopter rain bucket crews worked to contain a fire in Christchurch’s Port Hills on Tuesday.
“These are all high-risk areas and what we said Friday night was completely unnecessary and avoidable,” he said, confirming that Friday’s fire that burned 25 hectares in Port Hills was caused by fireworks.
“The use of fireworks should be completely out of the question, and we will look down on anyone using them while this ban is in effect.”
He urged everyone living around Port Hills, Akaroa or Bottle Lake to call 111 if they saw or heard fireworks or anything suspicious.
Firefighters were on high alert given the recent string of fires and ongoing high temperatures.
Crews were using a drone to scan the hills for hot spots Wednesday morning, following a fire caused by a spark from a grinder Tuesday.
The fire on Galilee Ln, Clifton, forced the evacuation of 16 homes on Revelation Drive, Galilee Ln and Bayview Rd.
Joseph Johnson / Stuff
Firefighters and helicopters with monsoon buckets work to contain a brush fire in Clifton, Christchurch on Tuesday.
Eight fire trucks, two water tankers, four helicopters and a command unit helped contain the fire, which spread over some 16 hectares of grass and gorse.
Stackhouse said the fire was accidentally caused by a construction crew grinding material nearby.
Tuesday’s fire followed another in nearby Hillsborough on Friday night, which consumed about 20ha and forced a dozen residents from their homes. Stackhouse confirmed Wednesday that the fire was caused by fireworks.
The only structure destroyed in the fire was a barn owned by Kester Vos. It contained construction materials and equipment worth about $ 30,000.
Canterbury would go into a restricted fire season starting at midnight Wednesday, meaning permits may be required to start a fire outside.
Christchurch was expected to suffocate on Wednesday, with a high temperature of 27 degrees Celsius and sea breezes, according to MetService.
