Otago's Orientation Week becoming like 'Guy Fawkes' for Dunedin firefighters

Thursday, 25 February 2016

Students party on Castle St, Dunedin, during Orientation week.

Couch-burning are 'absolutely stupid', with Dunedin's Orientation celebrations becoming like a week-long Guy Fawkes for firefighters, a fire chief says.

Fire Service East Otago area commander Laurence Voight is blaming non-students partying in the student quarter for the latest incidents.

His comments come after footage emerged of a couch fire on the notorious party street of Castle St, including people 'hurdling burning furniture'.

The remains of a burnt couch on Castle St, Dunedin.

'If they somehow miss they will do themselves major damage,' Voight said.

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The aftermath after a couch was set alight on Castle St, Dunedin.

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'It is absolutely stupid.'

He endorsed comments from Campus Cop Senior Constable John Woodhouse, who blamed a spate of recent disorder and arrests on non-students.

'It is not students, it is the other people that go down and party with them,' Voight said.

He feared it was only a matter of time before someone was seriously injured, particularly in narrow student streets such as Hyde St, that 'have couches on porches and houses that are tinder dry'.

Orientation Week was busy for North Dunedin's Willowbank Station, with Voight likening it to a week-long Guy Fawkes night for firefighters.

'It doesn't need to be, we are not trying to create an expectation. We would prefer it to stop.'

Police were asked to attend some fire call-outs as a precaution if a large number of partygoers were present.

Previous Orientation Week incidents included bottles being thrown at firefighters and a person caught riding on a fire appliance.

'When our guys are putting out a couch fire there could be potentially other people in a structure fire that we could be helping . . . so while we are at one place dealing with a reckless act, we are being taken away from helping others.'

Firefighters attended another couch fire on the corner of Leith St North and Howe St about 1am on Thursday.

In a statement, the University of Otago said it was generally pleased with student behaviour during Orientation Week.

'The actions of non-Dunedin University students and visitors, coming from outside of Dunedin, such as Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland, have concerned the University of Otago Proctor and Campus Watch team.'

Proctor Dave Miller said he was 'reasonably happy' with student behaviour so far.

'The numbers of fires and incidents appears to be down, although I still think there is room for improvement. I would like to see a lot less broken glass around the streets, for example.

'I'm confident too that the vast majority of students just want to enjoy their O Week and get into the true spirit of what Otago is all about.'

He was working closely with landlords and students to identify upcoming parties, and encouraged students planning gatherings at their flats to contact his office with information about numbers and host-responsibility.

'Most of the gatherings at flats are well run, as long as people continue to watch that their drinking and that their associated behaviour does not get out of hand.'

Meanwhile, a Wellington teen who threw an egg at the University of Otago's deputy proctor was tackled to the ground and later arrested by police.

Hundreds of toga-clad students attended the annual toga party at Dunedin's Forsyth Barr Stadium on Wednesday night.

Some of the first year students were pelted by eggs and water balloons as they chanted the name of their respective halls of residence.