‘It was devastating’
A BLAZE that tore through homes at a scale not seen in this country in living memory continues to burn in the Mackenzie Basin.
Firefighters and helicopter pilots will spend a third day battling the fire on the edge of Lake Ohau, which destroyed more than 40 homes in Ohau Village.
As of yesterday evening, the fire had burnt 5360ha, of which 1900 is conservation estate.
Eleven helicopters and eight ground crews were fighting the fire.
It was contained enough yesterday to allow residents their first glimpses of the devastation, a trip that proved emotional for many.
Bus loads of residents were driven through the village, but they were not allowed to disembark as the scene was still too dangerous.
There were tears and hugs as residents comforted each other when they returned to their base at the Twizel Events Centre.
The Barn At Killin B&B coowner Dwayne Rennie said it was ‘‘like a bomb had gone off’’.
‘‘It was devastating . . . an absolute war zone.’’
An emotional Mr Rennie described seeing metal twisted by the heat of the fire and cars that looked like they had had a Molotov cocktail thrown inside them.
There was so little left of some homes they were ‘‘absolutely unrecognisable’’, he said.
It could have been worse, though.
‘‘That everyone got out of there alive is amazing.’’
Petr Stalmach was working at Ohau Lodge, where he had lived for the past four months.
His girlfriend woke up and saw an orange glow.
‘‘We got our things and got out as soon as possible,’’ he said. ‘‘I’m still in shock.’’
Otago Principal Rural Fire Officer Graeme Still said it was the worst fire in terms of property damage he had seen in his 40 year career, and he was unaware of anything of the same scale in recent New Zealand history.
About 40 houses had been left ‘‘uninhabitable’’, he said.
Mr Still had been working closely with residents, and was on the bus with them as they toured the village.
‘‘It was quite sombre, quite sad, emotional. I felt it myself.’’
He praised the village’s emergency plan, which worked well on the night and ensured people got out safely.
A siren was activated within two minutes of the fire first being seen.
If that had not happened, things could have gone ‘‘pearshaped’’ fast, he said.
The weather had been windy and hot — ‘‘annoying for firefighting’’.
Firefighters were waiting on a southerly change which could come through today, he said.
Large vegetation fires were happening more frequently, something he attributed to climate change.
‘‘Things are drying out, and things are drying out earlier.’’
Civil Defence Minister Peeni Henare and Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage visited the scene yesterday morning.
They described seeing cars which had tyres completely melted off and burnedout houses.
‘‘What we have just witnessed is completely devastating for the people of this community,’’ Mr Henare said.
He said there was no ‘‘rhyme nor reason’’ about the devastation; some houses were completely destroyed while neighbouring ones escaped unscathed.
Mr Henare announced the Government had provided $100,000 to a mayoral relief fund as initial support to those affected.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) incident controller Rob Hands last night said a drone equipped with an infrared camera would be deployed to look for hotspots along the perimeter of the fire.
Structure protection crews would be working through the night to deal with any flareups that might threaten properties that had escaped damage, and helicopters and ground crews would be back on the ground at first light.
Mr Hands said Fenz personnel were working closely with the Waitaki District Council welfare team to make sure residents were well supported as they came to terms with what in many cases was a devastating loss.
‘‘Crews are working to reduce the hazards around undamaged properties, including firedamaged trees, loose iron and debris. That work will need to be completed before residents can be given unrestricted access,’’ Mr Hands said.
Residents who needed to retrieve essential items from undamaged properties within the fire cordons can register to be escorted to and from their homes from today.
The managed access will be for urgent essential purposes, such as tradespeople retrieving tools or people needing medication.
Investigators looking into the cause of the fire have asked for help from the public.
They would like to hear from those who observed the fire in the early hours of Sunday morning, up until 7am.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern also expressed her concern, calling the loss ‘‘devastating’’.