Residents told to evacuate as large fire engulfs Chch’s Port Hills

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

People in Christchurch’s Port Hills have been evacuated from their homes following a huge fire near the Christchurch Adventure Park on the anniversary of the devastating 2017 fires that killed a pilot and destroyed multiple homes.

Dozens of firefighters and multiple helicopters are battling the major blaze, which has engulfed a large part of the hills in the south of the city.

The fire caused power to be temporarily lost to 40,000 homes in the east of the city, power company Orion said, and several traffic lights to be out.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) said at 4pm that 10 people had been evacuated with the help of police, and more evacuations were expected.

Anyone near the fire who felt unsafe may self-evacuate, but should stay with family and friends if possible, Fenz said.

Several of structures were under threat, with firefighters “completing structure protection”.

Health authorities have also issued a public health warning about the smoke.

A huge plume of white is billowing across the southern part of the city from the blaze, which broke out at about 2.15pm at the top of Worsleys Road in the Port Hills.

As of 3.50pm, 10 helicopters and 15 trucks and tankers were fighting the fire.

The Christchurch Adventure Park has been evacuated, which the company behind it said was standard procedure when a fire is nearby.

Adventure Park spokesperson Juliet Calder said the fire started outside the park.

As soon as the park was alerted to the fire at 2.15pm, it began following instructions from Fenz, including evacuating the park. “It’s not in our park itself,” she said.

An emergency notification from Fenz has been sent to residents along the Port Hills as the large fire rages near Westmorland.

Just before 4pm, residents in the neighbouring suburb of Cashmere Hills, 1.5km away, were sent an emergency alert stating “a wildfire is burning ... evacuate the area immediately”.

The warning urged residents of Worsleys Rd and Worselys Spur to evacuate now because of the vegetation fire.

An evacuation centre has been set up at Halswell Library and Community Centre.

The billowing dark smoke could be seen high in the sky above the hills, the orange glow of flames visible from the central city.

“A fire has been reported in the area of Worsley Rd on the Port Hills and we have appliances responding,” the Fenz spokesperson said.

“Please stay away from this area to allow our crews to work on containing this fire.

It is as yet unclear how the fire started. The fire risk in the area is considered “very high”, according to Niwa and Fenz.

Helicopters could be seen scooping up water using monsoon buckets and flying above the smoke.

Local Cashmere resident Joachim Murdie said he saw 10 fire trucks drive past his house towards the fire “coming from each direction”.

He joined a large group of cars lined up on Worlseys Rd of residents and curious people watching the large smoke fill the sky.

Murdie cycles regularly at the Adventure Park and said the tracks are “incredibly dry” at the moment.

“It’s just straw up there really … anything like a cigarette put could set it on fire.”

One Worsleys Rd resident, who didn’t want to be named, said the fire appeared to be burning further up the hill from her property, past the dead end at the end of the street.

“We’re packing up just in case we have to be evacuated.”

There were three or four helicopters circling the area, she said, and numerous audible sirens. For now, smoke was blowing away from her property.

The resident’s house was spared in the Port Hills fires of 2017, she said, although some neighbours weren’t so lucky.

“It’s just life,” she said. “You just do it.”

Brianna Moody watched the fire burn for close to an hour. She said “it was growing at a massive rate” and getting scarily close to residents’ houses.

Port Hills resident Tracey Menzies sat patiently at a police cordon, worrying about her house on the hill from which her family had evacuated.

Her son was home when the fire broke out, so he grabbed the dog and fled.

The blaze is a reminder of the Port Hills fire their family experienced seven years ago, but Menzies said she had faith in fire crews.

“The fire brigade are onto it, it’s got so much bigger so much quicker than the last one, but they know what they’re doing,” she said.

“When we arrived it was a quarter of the size of what it is now, it’s moving so quickly and the black and white clouds are just crazy,” she said.

Te Whatu Ora National Public Health Service has issued a public health warning.

“Those who are sensitive to smoke - such as those with heart or lung conditions, pregnant people, young children and the elderly - may experience symptoms like coughing, shortness of breath or eye, nose and throat irritation,” it said.

People affected by the smoke should close windows and doors and reduce outdoor exercise. Those concerned about their health can call Healthline on 0800 611 116.

It was 24C in Christchurch when the blaze broke out, with wind gusts of up to 33kph. Temperatures were forecast to rise to 29C later on Wednesday.

Canterbury District, which includes areas north of the Rakaia River, is under total fire ban until further notice.

No open-air fires are allowed and all fire permits are suspended since a prohibited fire season came into place.

Dry weather is expected to continue for the next two months.

It is seven years since a major fire burned through 1600 hectares of land in 2017, claiming nine homes and damaging five others.

War hero and celebrated pilot Steve Askin, 38, died while fighting the blazes. The Eurocopter AS350-BA helicopter he was flying crashed near Sugarloaf on February 14.

It took 66 days before the fire was declared fully extinguished.

The fires were the first large-scale blazes on the edge of a major urban area in New Zealand.

The two fires started February 13, 2017 and then merged, producing as much energy as four atom bombs.