More blazes after busy day

JOHN BISSET/Timaru Herald

UNDER CONTROL: Firefighters dampen down hotspots at the Old Boys ground, near Centennial Park, after a large fire yesterday.

Fanning the flames

1 of 6

NATASHA MARTIN/Timaru Herald Zoom

Choked: The smoke from the fire at Centennial Park was too much for some onlookers.

Relevant offers

A second day of fires is causing a headache, with fire brigades fighting a blaze in a Waimate plantation.

The latest fire began about 3am today at a pine plantation in Mill Rd, on the western side of the town.

It follows a fire at 12.30am on Pakihi Rd.

The fire burnt a large hillside area and sparks from there had spread to the plantation, about 200m away. Two helicopters had been brought in to battle the blaze, dumping thousands of litres of water on the burning area.

South Canterbury principal rural fire officer Rob Hands said firefighters were working their way through the plantation and the helicopters had been stood down about lunchtime.

 Region on alert as gales wreak havoc

Firefighters are praying for the end of gale nor'westers which have been screaming across the South Canterbury countryside, sparking fires, toppling a silo and resulting in the death of a farmer at Queenstown. 

Yesterday's winds were so fierce they managed to stir a two-month-old burnoff. However, the material loss was nothing compared to the human loss for a Queenstown family.

Russell Liggett died after a 20m poplar tree crushed his Toyota Hilux about 12.30pm, on Lower Shotover Rd.

Sergeant Steve Watt said several occupants of the cars behind the Hilux saw the tree begin to fall and Mr Liggett attempting to brake.

"He applied his brakes but unfortunately he was unable to avoid the tree," Mr Watt said.

Judging by the tyre marks, Mr Liggett braked for at least 3 metres but the tree still fell directly on top of the driver's cab, crushing it.

South Canterbury also felt the force of the weather.

About 2pm, Albury firefighters were called to a small blaze in Mt Nessing Rd.

Residents watched in horror as the fire began growing and then started leaping from property to property.

"In 30 seconds it was huge," Albury resident Aaron Beynon said. "Two minutes later, there was nothing I could do."

He said residents couldn't do a thing to prevent the fire, with all water supplies running from tanks, without any pressure.

Helping the Albury fire brigade were crews from Fairlie, Cave and Pleasant Point, about seven fire appliances working to extinguish the charred remains.

Fairlie Fire Brigade chief fire officer Jim Irvine said conditions made fighting the blaze difficult.

"We were so lucky. There could have been two or three houses and the pub [destroyed]. We've got to thank our lucky stars [the vegetation burning] is all it was."

Timaru Fire Safety Officer Kevin Collins said the occupants of the property the fire started on would not have been able to predict it. Patches of fire spread out over a 200m area and would have tested the crews attending, Mr Collins said.

While firefighters were still at that blaze, crews in Timaru were called to a blaze in Centennial Park.

There a 100m by 150m patch of scrub was burning, with the smoke choking views around western Timaru.

Fire appliances from Timaru, St Andrews and Washdyke were called, the Temuka fire brigade was put on standby and Timaru's off-duty crews were called to the fire line.

Police and firefighters kept a close eye on nearby properties which were threatened as flames crawled up the hillside.

The strong winds blew over a silo in the Dan Cosgrove yard at Redruth. Homeowners also reported minor damage, with picture frames in one home being blown from the wall.

Brigades from Waimate and Rangitata through to Lake Tekapo had been called out 12 times in total.

A Southern Fire Communications spokesman said Oamaru firefighters received a call shortly before 10pm to a fire in an area that had been burnt off two months ago.

South Canterbury principal rural fire officer Rob Hands said that should serve as a warning to farmers.

"There have been a number of fires [yesterday] that have been rekindled from old fires. It's a concern for the fire authority that farmers are still falling for that trap."