Mayor returns home to fire-ravaged district

Kaikōura’s mayor had a sleepless night in Wellington as he tried to get home after fires broke out across his district.

Craig Mackle.

Craig Mackle returned home at lunchtime on Wednesday (October 22) to have a shower and change out of his suit and into his work gear, ready to get his hands dirty.

‘‘I don’t adapt very well to this ‘stand here, watch this’. I prefer to get in and see it done.’’

Severe wind and fire conditions led to multiple fires breaking out around the same time across the northern part of the Kaikoura district on Tuesday afternoon, Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) said.

About 450 properties around Kaikōura are still without power, as repair crews scramble to restore connection before tomorrow's strong winds.

MetService has issued an orange level warning for Kaikōura from tomorrow morning, but says there's a high chance it will be upgraded.

MainPower acting chief executive Damien Whiffen says the company is hoping to have all customers restored by tonight.

But he warns tomorrow's wind forecast could result in power cuts to about 20,000 homes and businesses in the North Canterbury area, with Hanmer Springs expected to be one of the worst-hit areas.

FENZ has reported 14 rural buildings, including five homes have been destroyed.

Mr Mackle had been in Wellington since Sunday evening to attend the mayors' school for new and returning mayors, run by Local Government New Zealand, and had planned to fly home on Tuesday evening.

But flights were delayed due to the weather.

Smoke can be seen in the distance from the Kaikōura Civic Building on Tuesday afternoon. Photo: Kaikōura District Council

After a sleepless night, Mr Mackle finally boarded a plane to Blenheim at 6.30am before making the drive home - not knowing what to expect.

Council chief executive Will Doughty. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon

‘‘It wasn’t too bad to be honest. There was a fair bit of traffic, which you would expect because the road has been shut.’’

The drive home allowed him to get a glimpse of the fire activity.

‘‘There was a big burn up the Clarence that was quite fascinating. It covers a big area with helicopters flying in and out.

‘‘There were three properties near the main drag which I could see are gone.’’

Council chief executive Will Doughty said the emergency response is being led by FENZ, with the council providing a support role with communications and welfare.

FENZ has set up an emergency operations centre in the Kaikōura Fire Station building, while Takahanga Marae has opened up as an evacuation centre.

Mr Doughty said FENZ was due to provide an update on Wednesday mid-afternoon.

He understood the fires were still active, but were contained.

Around 20 people have been staying at the marae.

Fourteen rural buildings, including five homes, have been destroyed. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon

With strong winds expected on Wednesday evening, it could be sometime before evacuees are able to return home.

‘‘We are working with those individuals who have been evacuated, making sure they get the support they need,’’ Mr Doughty said.

‘‘Our first priority is safety.

‘‘We are very, very fortunate there has been no fatalities or injuries, which have been reported to us, but we feel for those how have lost their homes and buildings.’’

FENZ is planning to run the emergency operations centre until at least Friday evening.

Mr Mackle said it was not the first time he has been caught outside of Kaikōura in his 12 years on the council.

The entire council was at a planning retreat when the 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck in 2016, with the councillors needing to be helicopted back to the town.

The Covid-19 lockdown also happened just months after he had been elected for his first term as mayor.

‘‘My theory is the community gets hammered every four years, so hopefully we will get a reprieve for a while after this,’’ Mr Mackle said.