Crews battle Rowallan blaze

BY CASSANDRA POKONEY AND JARED MORGAN

A resident was evacuated and bystanders ordered to leave the area on Saturday as monsoon helicopters and fire crews battled a large blaze that continues to burn near Tuatapere.

Southern Rural Fire Authority principal fire officer Mike Grant said about 150ha to 200ha of regenerated forest had last night been destroyed by the fire, about 5km from the Hump Ridge Track carpark off Rowallan Rd.

The alarm was raised about 4.40pm on Saturday and Tuatapere firefighters were soon bolstered by six helicopters and about 25 Southern rural firefighters from Blackmount and Drummond, along with forestry, roading, and Department of Conservation crews.

The sky buzzed as monsoon helicopters filled their buckets with foam at a staging area near the fire front or dip-filled from a creek next to the carpark.

The aerial assault continued until just after 9pm when it was abandoned in fading light, Mr Grant said.

Four helicopters returned to the skies about 7am yesterday.

Drew Trainor, 83, was evacuated from his Zig Zag Rd house as a precaution late yesterday, and hunters and other people in the area were told to leave, he said.

Firefighting efforts were hindered by carloads of people who arrived to watch and police had to be called to help keep them away, which was disappointing, Mr Grant said. "In that sort of environment ... the best thing is just to get out of the place," he said.

Those people had not only risked their own safety but also the safety of the crews, who had an obligation to keep the public safe, Mr Grant said.

Constable Damon Templeton, of Tuatapere, said he had flown by helicopter over the area to spot trampers and hunters and told 20 to 25 people along the coast to stay put in huts overnight rather than risk being caught in the fire front.

Some were believed to have left yesterday along the beach at low tide, Mr Templeton said.

Police also sealed off roads late on Saturday to stop people going into the area.

Incident controller Elton Smith said the fire, fanned by strong winds, spread quickly because of tinder-dry conditions and the dense nature of the vegetation.

The fire was "very, very deep-seated", which had caused considerable problems for ground crews as old wood sent showers of sparks "all over the place", causing spot fires, Mr Smith said.

Efforts late on Saturday and into yesterday morning were to save Mr Trainor's house, he said.

"The fire burnt right around it, but we managed to save it ... he did lose his letterbox."

Four crews would be on the ground to fight the blaze today and it was expected crews would be at the scene for most of the week.

It was unknown what had caused the fire, Mr Smith said.

The Rowallan fire was one of several southern firefighters battled at the weekend.

A fire in a pine plantation near Lumsden also kept crews busy on Saturday, while a blaze on Mary Island, in Lake Hauroko was being monitored.

A fire destroyed a workshop on the North Range Partnership station, near Lumsden, on Saturday night.

North Range manager Ian Grant said he was notified about 9.30pm, arriving to find the shed well alight.

The shed and its contents, which included many of the farm's tools, were completely destroyed, he said.

"I'm very disappointed because it's our everyday stuff."

While the shed and contents were insured, there would be problems because some of the items were needed immediately for farm work, Mr Grant said.

At Kaitangata, a house was badly damaged in another suspicious fire in the town, and fire crews worked to dampen down hotspots at two fires in the Wangaloa Forest.

- © Fairfax NZ News