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Janet Brown was lying on the bed as strong winds kept her awake when she heard an alarm go off. Moments later, she looked out her bedroom window and saw her neighbor’s house on fire. She got the children and fled.
They were among the dozens of residents and vacationers who evacuated the village in Waitaki district on Sunday morning when a large forest fire, which is still spreading, swept through the pine forest and grass, destroying dozens of houses. The fire is believed to have been caused by an electric arc from overhead power lines.
Brown, who owns a vacation home on Lake Ohau, was in bed when an alarm went off that she hadn’t heard before.
“The windows in our room look directly into the fire and it was our neighbor’s house on fire and it was coming towards us pretty fast, and we had a house full of children. Luckily we were going to catch a flight today, so we packed our bags, got in the cars, and left the house.
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“Everyone was evacuating and we took off. It was quite fast because when I turned around I was in the village and it started to burn in the village.
The family was “exhausted,” he said.
Omarama Gazette / Supplied
A view of the ‘huge’ fire from across Lake Ohau at 6am on Sunday.
“I haven’t slept at all, but we are fine. Everyone at Twizel has taken great care of us. They are just amazing and the fire brigade has made people tell us about what is going on. It was really amazing. “
Since then, Brown had driven to the other side of Lake Ohau to observe what was happening with the fire.
“The wind is just blowing it and it’s starting over from Parsons Creek to Freehold Creek right on the line of the beautiful beach forest that just took off.
“It’s huge and it’s headed for town by the looks of it.”
Bejon Haswell / Stuff
Lake Ohau property owner Steve Simmons said he believed half of the houses on the lake shore had been destroyed by the fire.
Former Timaru resident Steve Simmons said he had lost two vacation homes to the fire.
Simmons said he and his son had escaped from the lakefront property they were staying at early Sunday morning.
“We got the call between 2.30 and 3 am from the Fire & Emergency team calling us out. They were very professional and probably helped save some lives today,” Simmons said.
“When you see fires like this, it’s just as bad as what happened in Australia earlier this year, or California recently. It has gone through the area like a freight train.”
Simmons estimated that half of the houses on the lake shore would have been lost to fire. “
“A fire like this can spread for miles. We always knew that fire could be a risk in this area, what has surprised us is its ferocity. There have been many people who have lost their homes.”
Simmons, who is now based in Sydney but is in New Zealand on vacation, said he and his son were heading to Timaru on Sunday afternoon to find out what to do next.
“I don’t think it’s fully established yet what really happened,” he said.
SUPPLIED
Aerial footage of the Lake Ohau village shows the devastation of an overnight fire that burned many houses to the ground.
THE WINDS THAT MAKE GOVERNMENT DRIVE THE BLAZE
Staying overnight at Lake Ohau Lodge turned into an evacuation mission for Wellington’s wife, Liz Hill.
Hill, who stayed at the lodge Saturday night as part of a stop during her husband’s attempt to ride the Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail, said it had already been a poor night’s sleep when gusty winds blew. in the region.
The couple joined the convoy of about 90 people evacuated near Lake Ohau on Sunday.
Talking to Stuff of Omarama, Hill said the overnight winds had been “dreadful” horrendous.
“And I say that and I’m from Wellington. The winds were terrible. ”
The staff at Ohau Lodge woke her up at 5:20 a.m. M. And he said they would probably have to evacuate.
“There was no electricity and we were using a torch.”
He said that “a handful” of people who had evacuated their homes began to arrive at the shelter.
“They were very open and talkative and didn’t know what was going on with their homes at the time.”
Bejon Haswell / Stuff
A convoy of about 50 vehicles left Lake Ohau on Sunday morning. They are pictured passing through a cordon near the intersection of SH8 / Twizel-Omarama Rd and Lake Ohau Rd.
The couple left in a convoy around 10 a.m. and Hill said it was slow.
“There was a strong smell of wood smoke everywhere and a lot of smoke.
“You could see the sprouts on the road.”
She said that she did not feel unsafe driving out of the area and that having seen photos of wildfires in Australia, she said she had felt prepared for what they saw.
She felt that the evacuation had been “very well organized” and praised the Ohau Lodge staff.
“They took good care of us,” he said.
She said events had made the train route attempt “more of an adventure” and that her husband would continue the journey on Monday.
RESIDENTS AND FAMILY MEMBERS FLEE
Hugh Spiers, owner of The Barn at Killin B&B, said his family and four guests had to take back roads to escape the fire at 3.15 a.m.
“We couldn’t take our usual path because it was on fire, but we were able to take a shortcut through rugged country.”
Supplied / Stuff
Pukaki pilot Chris Rudge took this photo showing the fire in Lake Ohau village from across the lake looking towards Omarama.
Your guests may have lost their car after it got stuck and had to be abandoned, he said.
“They were following us. We were four wheel drive, they two wheel drive and they got stuck. Their car is still there, we suspect they have lost it. ”
He said that there was a briefing for the villagers, but that he did not know if their house had been destroyed.
“There have been some home losses, but they didn’t specify which ones.”
The people of Twizel have shown overwhelming support for the villagers, he said.
“Everyone has been extremely hospitable, offering food, care and beds.
“They hope we can go back to town this afternoon.”
