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A fire that forced dozens of people to flee their homes late at night is believed to have been caused by a group of young adults setting off fireworks.
Firefighters were called to the fire in Christchurch’s Port Hills around 11:30 p.m. Friday. Two helicopters with rain buckets and dozens of firefighters battled the blaze overnight, which devastated 20 hectares and destroyed a barn.
Stuff understands that about five young adults were lighting fireworks when the fire started. Police are understood to have spoken to the group, but no charges have been filed at this time.
Kester Vos, owner of the damaged barn, burned several acres of his property.
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* ‘The potential is there’ for another Port Hills fire disaster
* Port Hills fires, a year later: ‘You would think they would try to help us’
ALDEN WILLIAMS / Stuff
A barn owned by Kester Vos was the only structure destroyed in the fire.
He had not yet spoken to police about the cause of the fire, but said he had encountered people drinking alcohol and lighting fireworks in the area regularly for the past 20 years.
“Rather than throw myself out and be aggressive, I just begged them to think about their actions and what might end up happening. It has worked for about 20 years. “
He said it “defied common sense” why people chose to set off fireworks in the hills when the Hillsborough domain was close at hand.
“When you shoot the fireworks, you don’t need elevation because they go up anyway.”
ALDEN WILLIAMS / Stuff
Firefighters were looking for hidden hot spots, which can burn in the roots of trees.
“Our biggest fear was that our house was threatened. And not just us, but our neighbors and the 40 other people who had to be evacuated. We were watching it unfold, saying ‘well, when is it going to end?’
“Thank God he’s the best [outcome] we could have.”
He hoped the group would come to him and apologize for what happened.
ALDEN WILLIAMS / Stuff
Kester Vos owns some of the land that was burned in the Port Hills fire on Friday.
Three days after the fire, Vos was still “counting the cost” of the damage caused. The barn, which contained construction materials and equipment, was completely destroyed. It was uninsured and the material was worth about $ 30,000.
“I was quite happy three days ago, quite relaxed, looking forward to Christmas with the family and going on vacation, thinking that everything was fine,” he said Monday.
“But… I am also very grateful to the fire department, they were calm, they tried very hard in the middle of the night.
“I just take my hat off to them.”
ALDEN WILLIAMS / Stuff
Fenz wildfire manager Brian Keown says embers carried by the burning trees were in danger of spreading the fire.
New Zealand Fire and Emergencies (Fenz) spokesperson Mau Barbara previously said a team would periodically patrol the area until Monday night to make sure nothing blew up.
Fenz Christchurch Metropolitan Area Commander Dave Stackhouse previously said they were still investigating the cause of the fire.
The fire may have started in a concrete water reservoir in Port Hills, he said.
