Fires in Waiheke and Canterbury

FIREFIGHTERS BATTLED scrub fires on Auckland’s Waiheke Island and West Melton, Canterbury, yesterday.

Smoke from the large scrub fire on Waiheke Island was visible from Auckland city and firefighters were last night battling to get it fully under control.

The Fire Service says they had four fire engines and a helicopter with a monsoon bucket fighting the blaze on Stoney Ridge on the edge of Ostend.

Although photos online showed the blaze was close to homes, the fire service said no houses had been threatened and the destruction was limited to around 10,000 square metres of thick scrub. In West Melton, eight water tankers, six pumping units, and three helicopters attended the scene.

Police also closed off the two main access points to the area, which is bordered by pine plantations and the Waimakariri River.

There was some concern as the fire was close to the West Melton airfield, where 50,000 litres of fuel are stored. Yesterday’s fire came just over a week after fires razed a nearby area.

Christchurch residents reported smelling smoke in the south-west. ‘‘I can smell burning in Hei Hei, Christchurch. wonder if there is another fire somewhere – it is windy and hot enough,’’ tweeted Sam Ragnarsson. Trade Me user slimgym posted: ‘‘hornby just went outside could smell and see smoke but looks as if it’s coming clearer now.’’

A fire service spokesman said at its height, the blaze covered an area of about 200 by 200 metres, but it was under control by 6.20pm. However, Cantabrians can breathe a sigh of relief as the heat from the high coming in from over the Tasman will mostly miss the region.

MetService duty forecaster Philippa Murdoch said Canterbury was not going to be as dry as it was when the first spate of fires hit.

‘‘ Often when you get those northwesterlies, they cause it to dry out. It doesn’t look like we’re going to have any during the next few days.’’

New Zealand is expected to cop some of the heat from Australia as a high moves across The Ditch, however, it is unlikely Sydney’s 45-degree highs will reach these shores.

‘‘There’s an improving trend, a high from the west in the Tasman is due to move across the country on Monday and Tuesday,’’ said MetService meteorologist Liz Walsh.

‘‘But given our location, the fact we’re surrounded by water and we’re not a big continent like Australia means we won’t be getting those extreme highs.’’

The mercury topped 45.8°C at Sydney’s Observatory Hill on Friday, breaking the previous record set in 1939 by half a degree.

Serious fires also raged across New South Wales and Victoria. One man was found dead in a burning vehicle in Seaton, east of Melbourne.