New Zealand wildfires show no sign of easing, 3,000 flee
WITH strong winds on Sunday expected to fan forest fires that have been burning for a week through New Zealand’s South Island, New Zealand Defence Force firefighters are seem here combatting the Richmond fire near Nelson on Feb. 8. The Pigeon Valley fire covers 2,300 ha with a 25 km perimeter, NZ Civil Defence said in a statement on its website. No deaths have been reported and only one home destroyed. “There is some concern about predicted high winds this afternoon, which are expected to test the control lines,” the agency said. Early on Sunday, 155 firefighters were battling the blaze on the ground with air support from 23 helicopters and three fixed wing planes, the agency said, making it the largest aerial firefight on record in New Zealand. Up to 3,000 people have been forced to leave the Wakefield and Pigeon Valley areas, NZ Civil Defence Controller Roger Ball told a Saturday news conference on Saturday. More people were likely to be forced from their homes on Sunday. New Zealand Red Cross Communications Manager Ellie van Baaren said evacuees were tired and frustrated. “When you have to leave your home and in some cases your livestock and animals and you don’t know what’s become of them, and you’re staying with friends and family, then it’s an uncertain situation for everybody,” she told Reuters by telephone. Much of the affected area south of Nelson was used for forestry but it also has many small farms. Some livestock has also been moved to safety. Hundreds of volunteer and professional firefighters, police, civil defense and military personnel are battling the fires.