Fire ‘intense and insane’ as more evacuated
Former Southlanders say the Nelson fire experience is scary, intense and insane as the district continues to battle an out of control blaze, which has stretched about 2000 hectares.
Residents in the Wakefield township, and south of Wakefield, have been evacuated as houses came under threat this week.
Yesterday afternoon a second fire broke out close to the Nelson CBD stretching frantic emergency service resources even further.
It’s ‘‘almost certain’’ the initial fire was caused by agriculture machinery, Fire and Emergency New Zealand regional manager John Sutton said.
Candy Hendry-Blair, a Southlander now living in Nelson, said she and her family were told on Thursday night to starting preparing to evacuate Wakefield, near Nelson, as the large fire headed towards their rental home.
They decided to gather important documents and other bits and pieces, and headed to a friend’s place on the other side of Nelson, away from the fire.
‘‘When we left it was dark, and you looked at the hills and they were glowing with the fire,’’ she said.
Henry-Blair returned to her house early yesterday to dampen down hot spots around the property before her side of Wakefield was officially evacuated.
‘‘You can’t see the end of your driveway because the smoke is so thick,’’ HendryBlair said.
‘‘It is just so dry, anything could have started the fire. We desperately need some rain.’’
While the situation was frightening for people in the Nelson district, Hendry-Blair said there had been something special to emerge from the fire and destruction.
‘‘Humans are special. It is amazing the work the emergency services and other people are doing to help. Everyone is doing all they can.’’
Jasmine Teece, another former Southlander now based in Nelson, has helped by transporting horses away from areas of the district where the fires were raging.
While speaking on the phone to Stuff on Friday, the second fire close to the CBD broke out, much to the dismay of Teece.
‘‘This is insane. This is really alarming because it is so close to the city. This is crazy,’’ she said.
Sixteen helicopters were fighting the blaze near Wakefield but some had to be diverted to the second fire as it inched closer to central Nelson.
Teece lives about 10 minutes away from Wakefield but said smoke at her place was an issue.
‘‘You open the window and you smell it straight away,’’ she said.