"We're in the hands of God"

As fire-fatigued residents brace for high winds and scorching temperatures today, emergency response boss says:

RESIDENTS FLEE LEAVING PETS BEHIND WIND RISK A ‘TIME BOMB’

Fire and Emergency services are holding their breath as wind gusts of 40-50kmh are expected to develop in Wakefield today.

The bush fire in Nelson has been raging since Tuesday, turning Wakefield into a ghost town with nobody allowed into the area. People are also being kept out of the hills and reserves all over the district, and both preschools and primary schools will be closed tomorrow.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand rural regional manager John Sutton described the possible threat of a wind change as a ‘‘time bomb’’ and said ‘‘we’re in the hands of god’’. The temperature in Nelson is forecast to reach 25 degrees Celsius.

Last night 2600 residents had been evacuated from around 1200 houses, Tasman District Council said. Police issued warnings to the residents of Wai-iti to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.

‘‘We are ready to back out of the garage,’’ said resident Glenys Thomson-Gibbs. ‘‘It has been quite an ordeal.’’

Yesterday around 150 firefighters continued to fight the blaze, which had spread to cover 2100 hectares.

Elsewhere around the country, scrub fires broke out in Wellington and in the Manawatu town of Foxton. A firefighter was injured while trying to contain the Wellington blaze, which caught ablaze near the suburb of Wadestown.

Sutton said the uncertainty around wind strength and direction changes was keeping Nelson on its toes.

‘‘This is what’s really worrying us . . . the wind is our biggest enemy, that has determined the strategy that we have been implementing on this fire for the last few days as anticipation for that strong wind.’’

Sutton said the response had managed to slow down the fire but not actually stop it. Firefighters could control the blaze as long as the winds don’t ‘‘get excessive’’.

‘‘The threat is still there; the possibility of it coming out of the forest and then coming into Wakefield.’’

Yesterday afternoon the blaze had reached one kilometre from the settlement.

Civil Defence Nelson Tasman group controller Roger Ball yesterday confirmed there was ‘‘no prospect in the immediate future’’ of the emergency ending. The Defence Force continued to have a major presence, running convoys through the closed section of SH6.

Talks would start tomorrow on finding an alternative location for local schools.

Police inspector Zane Hooper said the area of most concern was south of Wai-iti and residents should be ready to evacuate.

‘‘It’s critically important that people in this area take all precautions now. If the evacuate message is given, we will be coming door to door, you should evacuate,’’ he said.