Fire crews earn praise

BARBARA WITHINGTON

AFTERMATH: Roxburgh residents Pat and John Kerr, with their daughter Anita, look at what is left of their home, destroyed in a bushfire in January this year.

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One house was destroyed by a significant grass fire in Roxburgh on Friday night, but more would have been lost if not for "good work" by firefighters and a fortunate wind shift.

About 60 firefighters from throughout Central Otago spent more than 20 hours tackling the fire on the hills surrounding Roxburgh. Several houses and a rest home were evacuated on Friday night because of concerns the fire would spread rapidly. Northwest winds of more than 100kmh and tinder-dry scrub fuelled the fire, which burned quickly across about 40ha of vegetation.

While disaster was averted in the town, residents Pat and John Kerr were not as lucky, losing their home to the fire.

"The last thing I had done before I came down the hill was water the glasshouse," Mrs Kerr said. "Now the house is gone, the plants on the outside of the glasshouse have gone, but the plastic is almost untouched."

It was almost deja vu for Mrs Kerr. Her grandmother's house was lost to a similar fire almost 55 years ago.

"We are all safe; things can be replaced. And I will call it a major spring clean," she said.

Publican and community board member Mr Kerr said the speed with which the blaze enveloped the house was unbelievable.

Fire investigator Mike Cahill said the cause of the fire had not been determined yet.

Witnesses said power lines touching in strong winds created a spark that fell into grass.

Roxburgh chief fire officer Dave Rooney said the initial call was to a grass fire in Branxholm St, "but it quickly changed to a big bastard".

Fire crews from Roxburgh, Millers Flat, Alexandra and Heriot, along with rural fire crews and six helicopters, fought the fire.

"We could have lost the whole lot up the hill. We were very lucky with the helicopters," Mr Rooney said.

Central Otago rural fire officer Owen Burgess said 2 to 3mm of rain that fell about 11pm had helped them to bring the fire under control.

More houses would have been lost had it not been for the good work of the firefighters and a fortunate shift in the wind, Mr Burgess said.

Eleven Teviot Rest Home residents were evacuated to the Roxburgh Area School, across the road, for more than two hours, when it was deemed safe to return.

Other residents were put on evacuation standby in case the fire got out of control and threatened the town.

Thankful resident Kevin Findlay lives just metres from where the fire started.

"It was only recently we asked the digger operator to clear a track between us and the council land and this has sent the fire upward instead of across to us and the other houses in this area.

"Two cartons of beer was a very cheap insurance when you see what happened."

A Roxburgh fire crew was at the scene yesterday, dampening down about a dozen hotspots, deputy fire chief David Welsh said.

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