Nelson’s desperation as fires leap back into life
Evacuated residents were told they could return to their homes last night after fire broke out again weeks after a large blaze ravaged the region.
The majority of evacuated residents from the Redwood Valley fire have been told they can return to their properties.
Fire and Emergency said last night all residents evacuated from Redwood Valley Rd and associated side roads could return to their properties immediately.
People had to be ready to evacuate again at short notice.
Residents at five properties on the Moutere Highway would not be allowed to return as a precautionary measure.
Cordons remained in place at the intersections of Maisey Rd and Moutere Highway, and Old Coach Rd and Moutere Highway.
Principal Rural Fire Officer Ian Reade said at a press conference in Richmond last night that the fire was contained but not controlled.
Its perimeter last night was about 4 hectares.
Reade said the alarm was raised in a 111 call at 1.22pm reporting a fire on the side of the Moutere Highway, one kilometre from the summit of the Moutere Hill.
Fire and emergency area commander Grant Haywood said the call was made early to evacuate the Redwood Valley community as a precaution. At one stage the fire was only one kilometre from Redwood Valley properties.
A decision on whether to allow residents home was originally planned for 7.30pm but at 7.50pm a spokesman said it was still being decided.
Ninety-seven properties were evacuated around the Moutere Highway and Redwood Valley.
Inspector Dave Gibson, of Nelson, said police were working with Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) to look at the possible cause of the fire.
As the sun set over the Tasman district, the frustration was evident at a cordon on the Moutere Highway with some people annoyed they were unable to access their homes.
Gibson said emergency services were working hard to get the residents of the 97 evacuated properties along the Moutere Highway and Redwood Valley back into their homes.
‘‘We are doing our best to try and get an indication of when we can get them back in. Our goal is to preserve life and ensure safety but we appreciate the impact this is having.’’
He said the evacuations had gone smoothly yesterday afternoon, with the support of search and rescue personnel and St John. ‘‘We had pre-planned the Redwood Valley evacuations so that made a huge difference because we divided the valley into sections and smaller groups from there.’’
Gibson said a fire investigator would be travelling to Nelson from outside the region today to establish the cause, which was unknown at this stage. ‘‘That will either confirm or negate if it is suspicious or not. We are pretty keen to get an indication, obviously.’’
The fire took hold in standing pine heading into grassland. Strong winds and low humidity made for challenging firefighting conditions.
By early yesterday evening crews slowed the momentum of the fire, stopping it in grass at the foot of the gully where the fire began.
At its height, the fire had spread to around 7 hectares around the Moutere Highway. Flames between 40 to 50-metres high were initially reported.