Deployment of firefighting excavator delayed after gate padlock mysteriously changed

Police are investigating how a padlock and chain were allegedly switched on a gate which delayed heavy machinery from reaching a large Canterbury scrub fire.

Protranz Earthmoving provides Fire and Emergency New Zealand with key firefighting equipment, such as water tanks for helicopters and earthmoving equipment.

Fenz called the company at 10pm on Sunday seeking an excavator to help fight a large scrub fire near West Melton, which forced 50 properties and a caravan park to be evacuated.

But when a transporter arrived to collect the excavator from Protranz’s storage area at Whiterock Quarry in Loburn, North Canterbury, the lock and chain on the gate had been cut off and switched to a larger lock and chain, meaning the yard could not be accessed.

The transporter then had to travel to Castle Hill to collect a different excavator which was being used to fight a fire at nearby Bridge Hill, adding about 100km to the trip.

Protranz owner Gerard Daldary believes the lock was switched by someone opposed to its application to turn the quarry into a landfill to dump soil and inert construction rubble removed from building sites in Canterbury.

The company is facing opposition to its bid to build a landfill at the former Whiterock Quarry site, near Loburn.

A police spokesperson said the incident had been noted and police were assessing the case to see if any further action could be taken.

Daldary said a new lock and cameras have been installed at the gate.