Dry conditions and high winds create ‘extreme’ fire risk in Christchurch

Fire crews will fight “aggressively” any fire in Christchurch, as dry conditions cause more fires in Port Hills.

Twenty properties near Cass Bay were evacuated Tuesday when three helicopters with rain pails fought a fire that swept through 15 hectares of brush in the hills above. The cause of the fire has yet to be determined.

The fire was contained at 5.30 pm and residents were able to return home.

The blaze was one of several in Canterbury on Tuesday when strong winds of up to 130 km / h fanned flames, raised roofs and damaged trees.

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New Zealand Fire and Emergencies (Fenz) Assistant Commander Mike Bowden said scrub growth and dry conditions had exacerbated the problem in Port Hills, which had already had “several fires of reasonable scale” this summer.

A fire started by fireworks on December 11 burned between 25 and 30 hectares of brush on the hill side of the city. A few days later, a spark from the construction site sparked another nearby fire, which spread across some 16 ha of grass and gorse.

MetService said strong winds were also forecast Wednesday, but would begin to die down on Thursday. Temperatures are expected to reach minus 20 degrees for the remainder of the week, before highs rise to the mid-20s over the weekend.

The Port Hills were a “significant risk” to Christchurch and firefighters would attack any future fires “aggressively,” Bowden said.

“We want people to exercise the utmost caution.”

The Cass Bay fire, which started around 1:30 p.m., burned along the ridge line to Corsair Bay.

Three helicopters and five ground crews worked to extinguish the flames at the peak of the fire.

Lyttelton-Governors Bay Rd (Park Tce) closed between Corsair Bay and Rapaki, but reopened around 5.30pm.

Tim and Linda Hennessy were driving back to their Wainui home in Akaroa Habour when they were pulled over by the road closure near Cass Bay in the early afternoon.

“We thought it was strange that there was a haze, then we could smell the smoke,” Linda Hennessy said.

“I thought, ‘Oh my God, not again.’ It’s just a reminder from a few years ago. “

In February 2017, a large fire destroyed several houses and burned 1,600 hectares of land in Port Hills.

Bowden said firefighters faced the “worst possible weather conditions” on Tuesday, and there were multiple incidents in the region, which was a “real waste of resources.”

A fire was reported in Loburn, near Rangiora in North Canterbury, and a small fire damaged several cars on the Morrison Avenue Reservation in Northcote, Christchurch, around 1pm.

High winds also caused corrugated roofs to be ripped off several buildings and tree limbs to break in Halswell and downtown.

The wind also blew on a concrete wall under construction at the Chinese consulate in Upper Riccarton in the early afternoon.

Fenz Rural Chief Fire Officer Bruce Janes said high winds made the fires difficult to fight.

Canterbury is in a restricted fire season, which means a permit is required for all outdoor fires.

Janes urged anyone with a fire permit not to burn themselves until conditions improved.

He also urged anyone who has had a fire recently to verify that it is completely out, and he encouraged people to think twice about using braziers, gas ranges, or engaging in agricultural activities that could cause a spark.