Mackenzie fire can take months to extinguish, despite snowfall

By Tess Brunton of RNZ

It could take months to fully extinguish a bush fire in the Mackenzie district even though the rain provides some relief to firefighters overnight.

The fire has devastated more than 3,000ha of wild pine trees mostly near Twizel since Sunday.

Civil Defense Minister Peeni Henare flew in to assess the damage and speak with affected people.

For the past two days, flames have burned the land, razing the wild pines near the popular Lake Pukaki tourist attraction.

But overnight, a shift south turned the region white with poor conditions that forced helicopters to stay on the ground.

Twizel Fire Station Deputy Fire Director Ian Gardiner stayed overnight to protect properties as snow and heavy rains hit the area.

“We could see from the front that … there were some big blasts before that, some quite significant, you know, raining ash all around us,” Gardiner said.

“It was quite dramatic, the climate change.”

A house has been destroyed, along with some smaller outbuildings, but most have been protected from the flames.

“On the start shift, there were still a lot of outbreaks. The entire hillside and mountains were on fire … and then as soon as the front appeared, everything started to die,” Gardiner said. .

“The humidity went up so the behavior of the fire calmed down and then it started to rain probably around 11 at night. At 12 in the morning, it was quite strong and then at 4 in the morning, it started to snow.” .

He was relieved to see that the front was moving and teams were heading home.

The community had been very supportive, he said.

“Oh, it’s been great. The community has been offering their support, they have been leaving food at the station, a lot of moral support.”

Earlier today, the road to Aoraki Mt Cook was reopened.

Henare traveled down the road to check the damage, but it wasn’t exactly what he expected.

“I came here to see a fire and now I see a winter wonderland and it disproves what really happened here yesterday, which is really amazing,” Henare said.

“The footage that I have seen, the discussions that I have had paint a very different picture. Obviously, what you cannot see is the problem and therefore the evaluation … must be done on the state of the fire.”

He met with some of the affected people.

“Some of them have lost and have damaged properties. There is, in our discussions, anxiety and they are really not sure what the future holds for them. But I know that the good communication from the mayor’s office and also the work what they are doing Rob and his team is helping them get back to their properties in the first place and how we can help them in the future. “

No supporting funding announced; the minister said the focus was on the fire and he hoped to hear more about what the community needed in the coming days.

Instead, Henare referred to previous funding to help clean up the Scots pines; the funding acknowledged Mackenzie District Mayor Graham Smith, but said more was needed.

“Those properties that had the real intention of keeping vegetation well away from their facades really helped themselves and therefore here around Twizel we have areas where there are trees. We need to be more proactive and make sure that vegetation does not be in a position where it can explode and cause property damage, “Smith said.

Blaze could stay active for months

Thick snow covers the area, the smell of ash wafting through the air.

Instead of flames, smoke rises from the blackened branches.

About 15 firefighters were in the field today using heavy machinery to create control lines.

Fire Incident and Emergency Controller Rob Hands said the fire was hidden, but was still active and could remain so for three months.

“The fire is there under a layer of snow. It is not going to run anywhere, there will be smoking piles with heavy loads of fuel in different areas and that is something that the public should not worry about. That is not going to run anywhere. We have conducted site assessments on all of those properties and we would not allow the public to return to them without the confidence that they are safe. “

They were working to develop a plan and expected to fight the fire more actively on Thursday and Friday, he said.

While the fire is expected to drag on for months, Smith said the Mackenzie district remained ready for visitors.

– RNZ