Police are following “good lines of inquiry” into the cause of a large beach fire that has covered about 200ha north of Christchurch.
The blaze at Pegasus Beach continued to burn overnight and has covered an estimated 200ha. Incident Controller Colin Russell said three helicopters and fresh crews mustered at first light.
On Thursday morning fire evacuees from Woodend camping ground gathered for a public meeting.
- 130 residents evacuated as blaze spreads over 5km
- Warning not to light fireworks in windy Canterbury weather
Canterbury Police rural area commander Inspector Peter Cooper confirmed to the gathering that they are talking to two “persons of interest” over the possible start of the fire.
The fire came very close to the camping ground but volunteers managed to keep it out and no reports of property damage have been reported. It’s hoped the evacuees can get home tonight. Another meeting will be held at 2pm.
Weather forecasts are predicted to be similar for this afternoon which will let fire crews continue their work, said Fire and Emergency New Zealand’s Wayne Hamilton. One member of the public asked why they couldn’t decide on returning now instead of 2pm. FENZ said the fire is still “very active” and they want to make sure it’s a safe area for them to return to. The evacuation centre will remain open into the evening.
Incident Controller Colin Russell spoke to media at 7.30am on Thursday, along with Waimakariri District mayor Dan Gordon, from the Woodend Fire Station. He said the main focus has been evacuation.
All have been “successfully evacuated, all safely” and there are no reports of property damage, he said.
Evacuees are in “good hearts” and grateful to Fire and Emergency, said Gordon.
Russell said it was too early to say what sparked the massive blaze but investigations were underway. Questions were asked whether the fire could be linked to ongoing Guy Fawkes celebrations, but Russell wouldn’t be drawn into speculating.
His preference, he said, would be for the public to refrain from setting off their own fireworks but simply attend safely managed public events.
FENZ has now established an investigation team with police, a scene guard is at the site where the incident was first reported.
The fire first sparked around 7.30pm on Wednesday night. Roughly 50 firefighters and 12 fire trucks have been on the scene since.
The fire has spread over 5km, Russell said, with flames reaching as high as 6 metres last night. The fire reached the boundary line of the Woodend Beach campground.
130 people have been evacuated from their homes. Gordon said around 50 evacuees sheltered at the community centre overnight but were in good spirits.
Heavy machinery including two huge bulldozers managed to plough a 30m-wide fire break last night to try to contain the blaze.
While the wind is light now, forecasted gusts have firefighters on the ground concerned. The aerial attack will focus on hot-spots and contain the worst areas.
Pockets of fire could be seen in various areas throughout the sand dunes on Thursday morning, along with a forestry block - which has recently been cleared in parts.
Smoke is billowing and has drifted over the small Woodend Beach community, where residents had a nervy, sleepless night.
“We are so lucky nobody has lost their home,” one told the Herald. They went to a friend’s place to shelter through the night.
”It was so close.”
Another said the beach community this morning was thick with smoke.”
“I hope it doesn’t pick up today… the skies are still glowing.”
Helicopters tackle fire from above
Four helicopters have taken to the skies with monsoon buckets, dropping “thousands of litres of water” in an effort to contain the fire, Fire and Emergency have confirmed.
Seven ground crews are working on the flanks, and two fixed-wing waterbombing aircraft are on their way to join the attack on the blaze.
Firefighters are aiming to make “as much progress as possible” to knock the fire back before winds are expected to increase later on Thursday morning, said Incident Controller Dave Berry.
The 130 evacuees will be given an update from Berry later in the morning, no decisions have been made by FENZ at this stage about when evacuees will be allowed to return home.
Residents and racehorses evacuated
Heavy machinery had been used on Wednesday night to create a firebreak on Pipeline Rd, which runs off Ferry Rd and the Pines Beach end.
“To the best of our knowledge we have not lost any homes or property but it’s hard to get a complete picture during the night. We will be making an aerial reconnaissance at first light and we will get a better idea of the extent of the fire then,” Russell said.
A second community meeting will be held for evacuees and residents in the vicinity of the fire at 10am in the Woodend Community Centre, which has also been set up as a welfare hub by Civil Defence.
Last night, the Waimakariri Civil Defence and police assisted FENZ to evacuate a number of residents to the Woodend Community Centre, and racehorses were also evacuated.
New Zealand Response Teams team leader Jonathan Williams said most of the people were from the holiday camp, but many people were also self-evacuating.
Digger contractor Gary Johnson told the Herald: “They wanted to push in a fire break but it’s moving too fast, so they’re going to get us to move heavier stuff ... and try to push in a fire break.
“It’s just opening up a big area so the fire doesn’t jump it. We are going to be here all night.”
