BUSHFIRE CLAIMS HOME
‘It’s my worst nightmare, there’s nothing left’, says owner of destroyed home
TERRIFIED residents evacuated their homes as a kilometre-long inferno ripped through dry Canterbury land.
A massive scrub fire to the west of Christchurch yesterday destroyed one home and severely damaged two others.
About 100 residents fled their properties as unpredictable galeforce winds made the blaze difficult to control. Severe wind gusts fanned vegetation fires across the region and downed trees and powerlines.
The large blaze between the suburbs of Islington and Hei Hei was reported just after 2.30pm. Residents and schools in the area were evacuated, and witnesses reported seeing and hearing a power pylon explode.
The fire was estimated to be 1.2 kilometres in length, running north to south. Its cause is now under investigation.
Firefighters said the flames were above head height and travelled at 70 kilometres an hour.
Roberts Rd resident Aaron Lewis said he and a friend could smell smoke so they went outside and were confronted by the fire.
There was a sharp wind change and the blaze took off, he said.
Another Roberts Rd resident, Lani Smith, 22, also fled her home after smelling smoke.
‘‘All of a sudden it started going really thick and deep. People started screaming.’’
Smith said she and many neighbours got out of their homes quickly before fire crews arrived.
The smoke was so thick that ‘‘you couldn’t even see in front of your face. By that stage everyone was just scrambling.’’
Bruce Hobbs’ home and beloved vintage motorbikes were reduced to a blackened mess.
‘‘I just can’t believe it. It’s my worst nightmare. This is my retirement scheme,’’ he said. ‘‘I thought something would be half all right, but no. There’s nothing left.’’
His was the only house destroyed.
One firefighter was treated for smoke inhalation.
Fire region commander Dave Stackhouse said about 20 hectares of rural land was razed and about 40 homes had been threatened by the fire.
Hobbs said he was in the backyard of his Roberts Rd property as the fire raced towards him. He first tried to fight the inferno with a garden hose and fled when he realised he was no match.
‘‘I was just panicking. The hose was just dribbling. The fire just came straight over the top. I was trapped in the porch so I started running.’’
He faced an anxious few hours at a police cordon before the bad news came. As well as his house, the fire killed his 40 budgies.
His five vintage Triumph motorbikes, worth about $80,000, were supposed to be his retirement project.
Insurance would cover the house but only one bike. ‘‘They’re only possessions. Everyone is healthy, no-one was trapped inside. That’s the main thing.’’