Fight goes on against Ohau fire

The weather may be coming to the aid of fire crews battling the huge blaze that tore through Lake Ohau Village, destroying dozens of homes. 

The fight against the fire, which as of yesterday evening had burnt 5360ha, is into its third day, but rain this morning may assist crews gain control.

In an update Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) said there had been a few flare-ups overnight, owing to strong winds.

Fenz region manager Mike Grant told RNZ's Morning Report that conditions were tough for his crew overnight.

"We've had quite a few resources on the ground overnight as we did the night before, couple of areas certainly around the village where there's hotspotting trying to protect the unburned properties, but more importantly down at the southern boundary where they are actually on site at the moment experiencing a steady 80km/h wind but it's gusting up to 160km.

A rainbow forms above Twizel fire station as rain begins to this morning. Photo: Craig Baxter
A rainbow forms above Twizel fire station as rain begins to this morning. Photo: Craig Baxter
"It's certainly challenged and tested the fire lines that are put in at the south end, but good to say that they have been contained ... we're expecting a bit of a let-up at around 10am this morning so we're hanging on and trying to resource that up until then and see what comes."

He said firefighters were focusing on two spots in particular that could breach the boundary perimeter.

"There's a lot of farmland [in that area] which some of it is tussock country, there's a lot of undeveloped land as well which more dry, and certainly on the farm land there's shelter belts and they've had shelter belts removed and [so] there's logging debris and so the fire's burning in some of that debris, it has been for two to three days.

"These debris piles are really difficult to get out and so they've (firefighters) have been working tirelessly on those and strengthening lines around them for last couple of days. The potential for an ember to pick up and throw it where it's not wanted is real at the moment."

Grant said helicopters weren't able to operate in those conditions, but ground crews remained on site.

He said there was a window of opportunity for residents to go and retrieve belongings between 10am and 2pm today; however, if the strong winds continued that might not happen.

"At the moment, with the winds they way they are it'll be most likely be too dangerous around the village as well, there's a lot of loose material, particularly corrugated iron, that will be flying all over the show in these winds, that'll be something that will be monitored and assessed as the conditions change.

 

Otago Principal Rural Fire Officer Graeme Still (right) comforts Lake Ohau resident Chris Spiers.
Otago Principal Rural Fire Officer Graeme Still (right) comforts Lake Ohau resident Chris Spiers.

The blaze, on the edge of Lake Ohau, destroyed more than 40 homes in the village.

Eleven helicopters and eight ground crews were fighting the fire yesterday, and it was contained enough yesterday to allow residents their first glimpses of the devastation, a trip that proved emotional for many.

Busloads of residents were driven through the village, but they were not allowed to disembark as the scene was still too dangerous.

There were tears and hugs as residents comforted each other when they returned to their base at the Twizel Events Centre.

The Barn At Killin B&B co-owner Dwayne Rennie said it was "like a bomb had gone off".

"It was devastating ... an absolute war zone."

An emotional Mr Rennie described seeing metal twisted by the heat of the fire and cars that looked like they had had a Molotov cocktail thrown inside them.

There was so little left of some homes they were "absolutely unrecognisable", he said.

It could have been worse, though.

"That everyone got out of there alive is amazing."

Petr Stalmach was working at Ohau Lodge, where he had lived for the past four months.

Lake Ohau resident Hugh Spiers is comforted after visiting the village where his bed and...
Lake Ohau resident Hugh Spiers is comforted after visiting the village where his bed and breakfast was destroyed in the blaze.

His girlfriend woke up and saw an orange glow.

"We got our things and got out as soon as possible," he said.

"I’m still in shock."

Otago Principal Rural Fire Officer Graeme Still said it was the worst fire in terms of property damage he had seen in his 40 year career, and he was unaware of anything of the same scale in recent New Zealand history.

About 40 houses had been left "uninhabitable", he said.

Mr Still had been working closely with residents, and was on the bus with them as they toured the village.

"It was quite sombre, quite sad, emotional. I felt it myself."

He praised the village’s emergency plan, which worked well on the night and ensured people got out safely.

A siren was activated within two minutes of the fire first being seen.

If that had not happened, things could have gone "pear-shaped" fast, he said.

The weather had been windy and hot — "annoying for firefighting".

More than 40 houses were destroyed by the blaze in Ohau Village.
More than 40 houses were destroyed by the blaze in Ohau Village.

Firefighters were waiting on a southerly change which could come through today, he said.

Large vegetation fires were happening more frequently, something he attributed to climate change.

"Things are drying out, and things are drying out earlier."

Civil Defence Minister Peeni Henare and Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage visited the scene yesterday morning.

They described seeing cars which had tyres completely melted off and burned-out houses.

"What we have just witnessed is completely devastating for the people of this community," Mr Henare said.

He said there was no "rhyme nor reason" about the devastation; some houses were completely destroyed while neighbouring ones escaped unscathed.

Mr Henare announced the Government had provided $100,000 to a mayoral relief fund as initial support to those affected.

Fenz incident controller Rob Hands last night said a drone equipped with an infrared camera would be deployed to look for hotspots along the perimeter of the fire.

Structure protection crews would be working through the night to deal with any flare-ups that might threaten properties that had escaped damage, and helicopters and ground crews would be back on the ground at first light.

Mr Hands said Fenz personnel were working closely with the Waitaki District Council welfare team to make sure residents were well supported as they came to terms with what in many cases was a devastating loss.

"Crews are working to reduce the hazards around undamaged properties, including fire-damaged trees, loose iron and debris. That work will need to be completed before residents can be given unrestricted access," Mr Hands said.

Residents who needed to retrieve essential items from undamaged properties within the fire cordons can register to be escorted to and from their homes from today.

The managed access will be for urgent essential purposes, such as tradespeople retrieving tools or people needing medication.

Investigators looking into the cause of the fire have asked for help from the public.

They would like to hear from those who observed the fire in the early hours of Sunday morning, up until 7am.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern also expressed her concern, calling the loss "devastating".

daisy.hudson@odt.co.nz


 

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