Port Hills fires state of emergency extended

As the state of emergency is extended in response to the Port Hills fires, the high cost of the disaster is beginning to emerge.

Insurance Council of New Zealand chief executive Tim Grafton said early indications were that private insurers expect claims to be ‘‘in excess of $10 million’’. The value and number of claims will become clearer once residents and insurers have access to properties to assess the damage.

The estimate includes claims for homes and contents, vehicles, business interruption and material damage, and liability. It does not include the costs of firefighting efforts, which are continuing and yet to be estimated.

Yesterday, authorities extended the state of emergency in Christchurch and Selwyn for up to another week.

Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel said the automatic sevenday extension was ‘‘highly likely’’ to be revised down to a ‘‘full recovery process’’ after a Civil Defence meeting on Friday.

The state of emergency was originally declared two days after the fires began on February 13. The blaze ripped through 2075 hectares of the Port Hills, destroying nine homes and damaging two others. About 450 homes were evacuated at the peak of the fires.

Cordons at Kennedys Bush Rd and Hoon Hay Valley Rd were lifted for residents from 8am yesterday, and 52 houses were still cordoned off in other areas last night. Most were above 329 Worsleys Rd, and one was on Summit Rd near Gebbies Pass Rd.

The cordon on Worsleys Rd is expected to be lifted up to 353 Worsleys Rd today, allowing more residents to return home.

Civil Defence said residents needed to be aware the fire was still active, ‘‘so they need to be prepared to evacuate their homes at short notice if the situation changes’’.

Much of Dyers Pass Rd remains cut off for safety and to allow emergency services access, including from just below the lower Victoria Park entrance to the intersection with Governors Bay Rd.

Fire incident controller Rob Hands said about 20 crews had some ‘‘good success’’ in extending control lines and dealt with a number of hotspots within the burn area yesterday.

Most of yesterday’s efforts were focussed in the Marleys Hill area around the Christchurch Adventure Park. Hands said eight crews from across the country were bought in to relieve local firefighters, and were expected to remain on site for a week.

Helicopters were grounded for an hour or two yesterday afternoon ‘‘to investigate the sighting of a drone in the area’’ as there was concern for the safety of the pilots.

Dalziel said although the fire was contained, there was still a potentially serious situation in the Port Hills.

‘‘The fire is still being fought on the ground and in the air. The environment remains volatile inside the controlled area. The fire is not out and there are extensive hotspots to deal with. There is always the risk that further evacuations could be required.’’

A total fire ban remains in place from South Canterbury through to and including the Hurunui district.

Meanwhile, investigations continue into the cause of the February 14 helicopter crash that killed decorated former SAS soldier David Steven Askin. Transport Accident Investigation Commission spokesman Roger Foley said investigators were ‘‘some way from getting our heads around what may have caused it’’.

Wreckage from the crash was being trucked to a technical facility in Wellington for closer examination. The process could take 12 to 18 months to complete.

‘‘It’s just too early to say in which direction the investigation will go,’’ Foley said.