‘OUR BIGGEST ENEMY’

FRESH FEARS OVER WILDFIRE SPREAD

On the frontline of this devastating fire which has destroyed one home, displaced thousands and drained fire, police and defence force resources from around the country, they’re doing the grunt work. On a pine forest block above Teapot Valley, south of Nelson, firefighters are trying to wrest back control of fires that have had the upper hand since the alarm was raised five days ago. The Herald on Sunday yesterday afternoon travelled behind the cordons to one of the containment lines. Here, at the smoky and noisy site they’ve named Alpha, their efforts — which have protected nearby homes — are working. Ashton Oliver looks down into a valley where some of the four crews are working and he knows they’re doing it tough. They’re also doing it real, the deputy principal rural fire officer for Nelson Tasman said. “It’s very hard work. What these guys are doing, this is the real firefighting work. When the flames have gone, that’s basically when the grunt work starts — the really unglamorous, hard, dirty work. Those guys are really doing the hard graft when it comes to putting the fire out, and this could take weeks to put out.” Below him, firefighters are dragging hoses down hills, digging dirt and putting out hot spots churned up by bulldozers. Above, four helicopters circle, scooping water from a pond, dropping it on flare-ups and then doing it all again. At Alpha site, it’s all going to plan. “It looks quite dramatic but . . . we’re using fire to put the fire out. We’re steering it where we want it, with the helicopters, the guys and the firebreaks we’re guiding the fire around to try to burn out some of the unburnt fuel that’s still in the fire ground.” The goal of the containment line was for the fire to burn back to the perimeter, so there was no more fuel to burn and — once hot spots were put out — firefighters could turn their efforts elsewhere. As the firefighters at Alpha worked, they were only a small number of those battling fires that have caused so much anguish in the district. As Oliver spoke, a stiff nor-east breeze could be felt. Gusts around 30km/h were recorded yesterday, but higher winds are forecast. “The wind . . . it’s a concern to us. If we do have a day where it’s going to blow up, our containment lines will still hold. Hopefully.”