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Residents who were evacuated overnight when the fire broke out in Christchurch’s Port Hills are beginning to return home.
One of the helicopters that has been on the scene since dawn.
Photo: RNZ / Conan Young
People living on Avoca Valley Road and Port Hills Road were forced to leave when the fire broke out last night.
At the height of the fire, 15 aircraft and 60 firefighters were deployed, a combination of full-time and volunteer teams.
#cristine #porthills #fire pic.twitter.com/CjZ2oraBCl
– Omantra (@omantramusic) December 11, 2020
Area Commander for Fire and Emergencies Dave Stackhouse said Avoca Valley residents have returned to their properties and residents of about 10 properties on Port Hills Road are expected to be able to do the same this afternoon.
Anyone who needs help should contact Fire and Emergency or the police.
A resident has blamed the youths who used fireworks for starting the fire.
Area Commander Stackhouse said fire investigators were working with police and had identified some “good positive leads” and some “areas of concern.”
“Our fire investigators remove all sources of ignition, so fireworks are naturally one of them, but there are other sources that we have to remove, that’s how we get to our cause and origin.”
Fire and Emergency Area Commander Dave Stackhouse speaks with reporters.
Photo: RNZ / Conan Young
Fire and Emergency put out four fires in the area early Wednesday morning. The fires were considered suspicious at the time, as witnesses saw people leaving the scene.
He said the loud pounding some people heard about the time the fire broke out around 11 p.m. last night were from two LPG cylinders exploding in a shed / studio that was the only structure that was destroyed by the fire.
He said the fire has devastated between 25 and 30 hectares and it has been difficult to fight it due to the rugged terrain – a mix of steep ravines, dense pine vegetation, gorse, thick brush and grasslands.
“It has been a really good job and we have managed to protect all the structures along Port Hills Road and Avoca Valley. So I am very happy, it has been a good effort.”
A couple of swings to the southwest overnight increased the intensity, but the winds died down around 4 a.m.
The priority for the rest of the day will be to establish a safe and contained fire zone and get the rest of the residents to return to their homes.
Area Commander Stackhouse expects them to maintain a presence at the scene for the next day or so.
Resident’s anxious night
One homeowner spent a nervous night watching the flames approach his home.
Kester Vos said he noticed the flames around 11 p.m.
“A short time later, the police were at the door saying ‘you have two minutes, grab what you can and get out.’ The first thing to do was get all the cars off the property and the dogs.
“So it was quite a lot, okay, we had to clear the area, so I’ve been standing here since 11 o’clock last night.”
Vos said the fire was started by young people setting off fireworks.
Kester Vos says the youths who set off fireworks may have caused the fire.
Photo: RNZ / Conan Young
At the first traffic light, two helicopters conducted an aerial reconnaissance of the fire.
Fire and Emergency said the overpass “looked positive” and that today’s weather should help firefighters.
Firefighters at the scene near where the fire started on Port Hills Rd in Christchurch.
Photo: RNZ / Conan Young
Earlier today, Stackhouse Area Commander said the flyover looked positive: “Our crews did a fantastic job of preventing the fire from spreading up the hills and potentially affecting houses.
“Our priority this morning is to keep it within the area in which we have contained it.
“The weather is on our side, with only forecasts of light winds, this should help us in our work throughout the day,” he said.
The scene last night.
Photo: Twitter / @omantramusic
The fire started in the area of Alderson Avenue, near Port Hills Road, near the suburb of Hillsborough.
It was on the side of the hills facing the city so Christchurch residents could see it and they were calling Fire and Emergency.
State Highway 76 has been closed at Curries Road and motorists are pulling away from the area.
UPDATE 8:20 AM
SH76 Hillsborough remains CLOSED between Curries Rd and Chapmans Rd, due to a fire. Continue detour onto Chapmans Rd, Cumnor Terrace, Maunsell St and Curries Rd. ^ EHhttps: //t.co/5RTXYkPFxK– NZTA Canterbury and West Coast One Boat (@OneCarCWC) December 11, 2020
Photo: Facebook / Chris Lynch
A fire in porthills. Take care of everyone! #Christian #fire pic.twitter.com/OcGqSZgUPj
– Josefina (@Aaravide) December 11, 2020
One of New Zealand’s most devastating fires swept through Port Hills in 2017, killing a helicopter pilot, burning 1,600 hectares of land, destroying 11 houses and damaging more.
Witnesses were in court in August as insurer IAG, Orion line company and Christchurch Adventure Park debated who should pay for the damages.
The 2017 fires started in two separate locations several kilometers apart, but merged, prompting a review of the fire services in New Zealand, culminating in the formation of a national fire service: Fire and Emergency.
As a result of those fires, efforts were made to plant 10 million trees in the area to reforest it.
Fire in the #porthills above #Christian around 1130pm tonight. We were at a concert at Bluesmoke. Things went out pretty quickly when the fire was seen. @PressNewsroom @rnz_news @NewstalkZB @BlairNortonTVNZ @CuratorCompany pic.twitter.com/KfPpTSzEnd
– Ali Jones (@ AliJones2) December 11, 2020
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