Helicopters douse a plantation fire west of Palmerston
yesterday evening. Photo by Peter McIntosh.
Adverse weather conditions kept fire and helicopter crews
busy in North Otago over the weekend.
A broken power line is thought to have caused a fire which
started on Saturday morning in a private plantation at
Meadowbank, west of Palmerston.
Volunteer fire crews from Palmerston and Waikouaiti attended,
as well as the Hampden and Waitaki District Rural Fire crews.
Waitaki District principal rural fire officer Steve Couper
said up to 4ha, one quarter of the plantation owned by Geoff
McLelland, was burnt on Saturday.
The fire was contained in the evening and the Waitaki crew
stayed in the area overnight to dampen down hot spots and
monitor the scene.
However, warm temperatures, low humidity and high winds
caused the fire to break out again yesterday afternoon.
Waitaki District Council emergency services manager Chris
Raine said the fire was burning in the trees' root system and
"erupted in flames" about 3pm.
About 7ha had burnt by about 5.30pm and four helicopters with
monsoon buckets, two from Central South Island Helicopters
and two from Helicopters Otago, were trying to contain it.
The constant wind and dry conditions were "really starting to
work against us", he said.
Fire investigators who visited the site yesterday morning had
yet to verify how the fire started but Mr Raine thought the
broken power line was part of it.
The line served the Macraes gold mine, but the mine was not
affected, as it had an alternative supply.
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