State of emergency declared as residents flee homes in wake of massive Port Hills fire
Wednesday, 14 February 2024
A local state of emergency has been declared as more than 100 firefighters and a dozen helicopters battle a huge fire in Christchurch’s Port Hills on the anniversary of the devastating 2017 fires which killed a pilot and destroyed multiple homes.
The blaze broke out shortly after 2pm in land above Worsleys Rd in the Port Hills, sending huge plumes of black and white smoke into the sky above the south of the city.
Households in four separate areas have been evacuated and while no structures have been lost so far, fire bosses say five or six are under “immediate threat”.
Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger said the fire was in the same area as that which raged across Worsley's Spur and Early Valley in 2017.
'I feel so sorry for everyone involved seven years ago, almost to the day and almost in identical positions.'
However, he said lessons had been learnt since the 2017 fire, with emergency response agencies and civil defence working together at the Justice Precinct. 'The coordination is working far better.'
The State of Emergency gave police the powers to evacuate houses if they needed to, Mauger added. He urged the public to respect the cordons.
He said the Adventure Park was removing all the chairs from its lift. In 2017, melting plastic from the chairs contributed to the spread of the fire.
Selwyn Mayor Sam Broughton told The Press the fire brought back memories from 2017, and the main thing right now was people staying safe and away so those fighting the fire could do their work.
He said about 30 homes up Early Valley Rd - where the 2017 fire started - had been evacuated as a precaution, even though the fire was not burning there right now.
“Just seeing the Port Hills burn, it's a disgusting feeling. [But] we've been through this before and we'll get through this event too.”
Residents have been warned they should expect to be out of their homes for at least 24 hours. An evacuation centre has been set up at Halswell Library and Community Centre, and a second at the Lincoln community centre for people closer to Selywn.
Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger and Selwyn mayor Sam Broughton made the declaration of a local state of emergency on at 6.13pm for Christchurch city (which includes Banks Peninsula) and the Selwyn District due to the impacts of the fire in the Port Hills.
“The declaration means we are better able to coordinate our response across all the various agencies involved, and will mean we can get assistance to where it’s most needed.
“It also means the local controller can evacuate people or restrict access to affected areas as required,” Mauger said.
Fire and Emergency NZ (Fenz) district manager Dave Stackhouse said the blaze was burning through pine forest and gorse, and that the Summit Rd - which is closed between Dyers Pass Rd and Gebbies Pass Rd - was an area of key concern.
Stackhouse said a fixed wing plane loaded with fire retardant was on its way to the fire scene.
Fire crews plan on lining Summit Rd with fire retardant, a substance that is used to slow down or stop the spread of fire, at first light Thursday morning, he said.
The fire was not yet contained and areas of the most concern are Summit Rd and Hoon Hay Valley where the fire is burning “fairly intensely”.
The fire break crews will look to create by bulldozing trees with heavy machinery could be between 500m and 1km long.
Police Sergeant Vaughan Kyne said there were a handful of residents who refused to evacuate their homes, but they had been successfully negotiated with “for their own safety”.
“They’re understandably shaken,” Kyne said. “It’s about protecting lives, property can be replaced, but lives can’t.”
Residents in that area needed to be ready to evacuate at short notice, Fenz said, and anyone near the fire who felt unsafe was told they could self-evacuate, but should stay with family and friends if possible.
Emergency alerts were also sent to residents’ phones.
Twelve helicopters, 23 trucks and tankers and over 130 firefighters have been battling the blaze, with choppers taking water from nearby waterways and even swimming pools to try to douse the fire, as well as from Governor’s Bay.
It is as yet unclear how the fire started. The fire risk in the area is considered “very high”, according to Niwa and Fenz.
Jeremy Dyer, owner of the Ōtoromiro Hotel in Governor’s Bay, said clouds of smoke were visible from the hotel.
“It’s looking like the skies are split in half with one side solid smoke while the other side is clear blue sky.”
The hotel’s accommodation was fully booked and he had prepared the guests for the possibility of evacuation.
The 2017 fire threw ash into Governor's Bay, destroying a few of the hotel’s umbrellas. “But it’s OK, we’re well insured,” he said. “And we've always got our swimming pool to jump into.”
Health authorities have also issued a public health warning about the smoke.
The fire started around 1.5km from where one of the 2017 fires started, virtually on the same hill.
It caused power to be temporarily lost to 40,000 homes in the east of the city, power company Orion said, and a number of traffic lights to be out.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon posted on X (formerly Twitter) that he was “thinking of those in the Port Hills who are currently facing a large fire putting homes and lives at risk“. He urged people to stay safe and follow the advice of authorities.
A huge plume of white smoke billowed across the southern part of the city from the blaze after it broke out at about 2.15pm.
Fenz urged the public to stay away, saying onlookers were causing congestion on roads.
The Christchurch Adventure Park was evacuated, which the company said was standard procedure when a fire is nearby.
Adventure Park spokesperson Juliet Calder said the fire started outside the park.
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 Cracroft resident said she saw a bulldozer taken up the hill from the Cashmere estate development, along with a digger. Two ambulances also shot through cordons.
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.
Another resident who lives within the fire area, who did not want to be named, was stressed as she sat outside the blocked intersection of Worlseys Rd and McVicar Dr, worrying if her new 7-month-old kitten at home will be OK.
“My friends that are up there are packing and have been told to go,” 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.
Buses in the area have also been affected, according to Environment Canterbury (ECan).
Route 44 is temporary terminated by Rose Street and Lyttleton Street, as Cashmere Road is closed by Hoon Hay Road.
Veterinarians At The Vets has offered to take in pets for people who need to evacuate
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 currently suspended.
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.
.