Ash pile ember likely cause of Burnside fire: report
AN investigation into the cause of the large fire which tore through businesses in Burnside earlier this year has found it was likely to have been ignited by an ember blown from a pile of ash dumped by the Keep it Clean rendering plant in Abbotsford.
Released by Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) under the Official Information Act yesterday, the report concluded the fire was ‘‘believed to be the result of an ember from a large ash pile blowing over the bank in the strong winds and igniting the vegetation’’.
Fenz investigators Jamie Cowan and Craig Chambers also considered the possibility a cigarette was flicked into vegetation, igniting the fire.
However, the evidence pointed to the fire originating from ash dumped by the rendering plant, the investigators concluded.
‘‘Given the ash was dumped out less than 50 minutes before the fire, the fire occurred downwind of the ash pile, the ash pile still had a core temperature of over 300degC after 80mm of rain, the staff were . . . concerned that the ash may have caused the fire, the fire weather and observed fire behaviour fully support a blown ember [as the fire’s cause].’’
The January 31 blaze destroyed about $300,000 worth of stock at Valley Lumber, located downhill from the rendering plant and owned by Peter Chalmers.
Mr Chalmers’ lawyer had also received the report. He said he was not surprised it had found the fire probably originated at the rendering plant, owned by the Wallace Group.
He would be meeting other affected parties next week to discuss further action, and they would likely be looking for compensation.
‘‘We’ll probably be pursuing some costs.’’
One of those affected parties was Greenwaste owner Bob Gillanders, whose business suffered at least $25,000 worth of damage in the blaze. One of his workers had also had several of his vehicles destroyed, as they were parked in a nearby section.
He said he was ‘‘not looking for sympathy’’, especially given the much larger scale of Mr Chalmers’ losses, but he had no doubt the plant had been remiss in dumping the ash, given Fenz said in the report there was ‘‘extreme’’ fire danger that day.
‘‘There’s no question it’s negligence.’’
Wallace Group chief executive Graham Shortland said he was not prepared to comment until next week, after he had reviewed the report.
The plant was in the news earlier this week after several residents living near the plant on the hill above Burnside, across from Green Island, contacted the Otago Daily Times at the weekend to say it created an ‘‘unbearable’’ stink.