Fire-hit areas still barred to public

Eleven cordons were still up yesterday and 150 firefighters were on the ground where two devastating fires raged near Christchurch two weeks ago.

One of the cordons was at the badly hit Dyers Pass Rd. Almost all posts and guard rails have melted or been burned and will need repairing or replacing.

A geotechnical assessment of scattered rocks above the road is also needed.

A spokeswoman for the Christchurch City Council said: “We plan to complete this work as rapidly as possible, as reopening this key route is a high priority.”

Cordons at Worsleys Rd, Kennedys Bush Rd, Hoon Hay Valley Rd and Dyers Pass Rd have been relaxed for resi- dents only. There is still no access for the public.

Cordons are also being maintained at the entrance to Halswell Quarry.

“We are reminding people to resist the temptation to come and have a look around, this includes mountain bikers and runners,” said the spokeswoman.

“The area remains an operational fire zone with cordons still in place. Fire behaviour modelling indicates the chance of another outbreak is low but if it did happen, significant damage could still occur”

Twenty fire crews and about 150 firefighters were still on the ground yesterday.

“A current priority for fire authorities is detailed mapping of unburned vegetation within the perimeter of the fire,” the spokeswoman said. “This will help fire crews to strengthen firebreaks around these areas and reduce the risk of new outbreaks.”

Overnight fire crews were to continue to monitor and patrol the fire.

Weather permitting, drones were to fly overnight to undertake thermal imaging to aid ground crews damping down hot spots.

Today, firefighters plan to focus on eliminating hotspots in priority locations including the Early Valley Rd area and the Summit Rd.

A large number of hotspots remain.