Nelson bush fire: It started here, but farmer's spokesman says it's too soon to say how

Wednesday, 6 February 2019

A photo circulating on social media shows flames erupting near where a tractor and disc plough were operating in Pigeon Valley, shortly before a massive forest fire began.

A farmer who leases a paddock where Nelson's massive blaze began says it's too soon to say what caused the blaze, according to a spokesman.

A person ploughing a paddock in Pigeon Valley, about 30 kilometres from Nelson, was believed to have sparked the fire that started on Tuesday afternoon, forcing the evacuation of nearly 200 households and destroying one home.

A tractor and disc plough pictured after a blaze left the Pigeon Valley hillside a charred mess.

The fire started at a farm owned by Patricia Sowerbutts. The farm is leased by fifth-generation farmer Ian Parkes.

The contractor thought to have operated the agricultural machinery in the paddock close to the start of the fire made no comment when approached on Thursday.

Fifth-generation farmer Ian Parkes leases the block where the Nelson blaze began.

* Nelson bush fire: What you need to know

* Nelson bush fire: Minimal property affected by raging fire**

Riverstone Balage Limited, a well-known contractor in Brightwater, is directed by Aaron Baigent, his father Anthony Baigent, and Grant Holland. Most of the shares in Riverstone are owed by the Baigent family and Holland. Aaron Baigent declined to comment when Stuff called at his house to discuss the fire.

The start of the Pigeon Valley fire that turned into a major fire storm.

A man at Anthony Baigent's house, who did not identify himself, threatened to call police, and became hostile.

Sources said the Baigents had moved some of their tractors off-site after the fire.

Firefighters change shifts as they continue to battle the blaze.

Stuff visited Parkes' Eighty-eight Valley property on Thursday morning but was asked to leave.

A spokesman for Parkes' company, N E Parkes & Sons, confirmed to Stuff the company leased a block in the area affected by fire.

A second fire at nearby Rabbit Island is being treated as suspicious.

'But more than that I can't say, it's too soon. All we're concerned about at the moment is making sure people and their properties are safe.

'It's far too soon to make any comment about the cause of the fire.'

He said the paddock was a 'small part of a very large farming operation'. Parkes had 'quite a number' of contractors working him.

Allegations that the blaze was sparked by the ploughing was 'far too presumptuous,' the spokesman said.

'My investigation is just beginning, making sure people and property are safe and fire is out, next part of that is an investigation as to how it was caused.'

The spokesman was unsure if police had spoken to Parkes.

Fire authorities earlier confirmed the fire started near Tasman Pine Forests land, and while it was no longer growing, it was still considered out of control on Thursday.

It was highly likely a tractor started the blaze, Fire and Emergency New Zealand regional manager rural John Sutton said on Thursday morning.

Sutton believed the owner of the tractor was mortified.

'It's an accidental event, it's certainly nothing that anyone would hope to happen. It's a totally unintended consequence.'

It was 'almost certain' the fire was caused by a spark from agricultural machinery, he said.

'There was a tractor towing discs in a rocky field and … I wouldn't say certain but it's highly likely that's how it started.'

The fire has spread over 1900 hectares, forced the evacuation of 182 homes, and caused an estimated $1 million to $2m worth of damage to forestry. A State of Emergency has been declared in Tasman, and at least one house has been lost, with others yet to be confirmed, Civil Defence said.

A fire investigator is working to determine the cause of the blaze.

While the perimeter of the fire did not expand on Wednesday, there was 'significant internal burning', Sutton said.

'When fire goes through the landscape, it doesn't go with a … clean sweep, it goes rapidly in some places and a lot slower in others so you end up with large islands of unburnt fuel that's still actively burning and they are a threat depending on how far they are from the perimeter.'

A fire could rapidly spread via 'ember transport'.

'We don't have total control of that area, we're just fortunate it didn't actually grow yesterday but that's more because of the weather conditions,' Sutton said. 'But I would expect by the end of the day, we'll be able to say that we have containment.'

A second fire, which started on Rabbit Island on Wednesday and was later brought under control, has been deemed 'suspicious'.

It had broken out in young pine trees at a popular beach and recreation reserve.

It is the second fire on Rabbit Island in the space of three weeks. In mid-January, firefighters responded to a 30-metre wide, 100m long blaze on the island while two helicopters dropped water from above.

FAMILY STRONGHOLD

Eighty-eight Valley, which bears the hallmarks of the New Zealand Company's settlement programme in Nelson, has been a Parkes family stronghold since 1849.

In 2013, their farm covered 790 hectares. Stock units had been increased from 4500 when Parkes took over, to around 7500 as more land was made available through scrub clearing, fertilisation and irrigation. The Parkes also farm leased blocks around the district.

* Comments are now closed on this article.