Fire started by legal burnoff

A fire investigation is under way after Sunday's blaze in the Lloyd Valley, but the neighbours of the man who lit the fire are "astonished and horrified" that he had been issued a burnoff permit in the first place.

In a letter to the Nelson Mail, Denis Dalton said he was "astonished and horrified that neighbours and firemen were put at risk because a ridiculous and unthinking permit was allowed" .

He questioned allowing the permit "under extreme weather conditions, with hardly any water for firefighting".

The blaze was 500 to 700 metres away from his property, "which is not very much when you have a fire roaring and pine trees erupting", he said.

Another neighbour, Rita Miller, who photographed and videoed the fire from her home, said the Lloyd Valley was isolated, rural and surrounded by forest.

"There are questionable water sources, we are in the middle of a drought and Sunday was hot with a breeze. In the hour it took for myself and other neighbours to alert the authorities to the danger, the hillside was engulfed in flames."

Waimea Rural Fire Authority deputy principal fire officer Doug Ashford said the man was burning piles of broom and gorse when the fire got out of control.

He confirmed the man had a fire permit, but said the fire service was "not quite sure" whether he went outside of the permit's conditions.

The rural fire service cancelled all permits on Monday, but Mr Ashford said it had nothing to do with Sunday's blaze. "We had already planned to do that."

Waimea Rural Fire Authority principal fire officer Neil Eder said a fire investigation was under way. He said he could not comment further until results of the investigation were out.

The landowner declined to comment.

- © Fairfax NZ News