‘Controlled’ burn gets away

Photo: Kerrie Waterworth
Photo: Kerrie Waterworth
A Hawea Flat man had a narrow escape yesterday afternoon when he attempted a controlled burn of flax leaves and the fire got away on him.

Lake Hawea, Wanaka and Luggate fire appliances, four tankers and 22 volunteer fire crew attended the fire in a rural residential area after it spread along a tree line and threatened a shed full of fuel.

Lake Hawea Chief Fire Officer Brent Arthur said there were multiple fuel containers in the shed and the structure was well alight when he arrived. He said no charges would be laid because ''it was more about educating the public not to take risks, or it will come back to bite you''.

Mr Arthur advised residents in rural areas to make sure their water tanks were compliant, full of water and had the appropriate fitting on them for the fire service.

''Unfortunately, there were tanks here with water in them but we couldn't use them for firefighting purposes,'' he said. 

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