Canterbury fire threatened power supply

A large blaze at Mcleans Island in Canterbury came close to knocking out the power supply to the country north of Christchurch.

The 19-hectare blaze started yesterday about 11.30am and was contained by 4pm, but some fire crews stayed to ensure it did not flare up again throughout the night.

There were fears the blaze would reignite in winds that were expected to hit the area today.

An excavator will be brought in today to shift "large piles of wood" so firefighters could dampen down hotspots beneath the pines.

Concerns were raised yesterday when the fire threatened Transpower pylons that supplied electricity to the country north of Christchurch, The Press reported.

Transpower spokeswoman Rebecca Wilson said the company monitored the path of the fire, but no lapses in service were recorded.

At the height of the blaze three helicopters, eight fire trucks and a bulldozer battled the flames, which began in scrub and dry grass and moved to a pine plantation between the Coringa golf course and the Waimakariri River.

There was no damage to buildings but pine trees measuring up to 12 metres high were destroyed and farmers would have lost grazing areas, Christchurch City Council regional fire officer Keith Marshall told NZPA.

The cause of the fire was unknown and would be investigated.

The fire was the second in the area within 24 hours, with Fire Service staff "very suspicious" about how it started, officer-in-charge Dave Burford said.