Days on and fire still burning

A ‘‘SPONTANEOUS’’ fire burning for three days at a Christchurch recycling site could keep burning into next week. The fire started on Thursday afternoon in a pile of recycled timber recovered from the city’s red zone. The fire was being managed by the Burwood Resource Recovery Park, Rural Fire Canterbury, and the Christchurch City Council.

A council spokeswoman said the fire, which was caused by’’ spontaneous combustion’’, was still burning strong yesterday.

Authorities had decided to allow the material to ‘‘burn itself out’’, a strategy developed with help from experts in timber fires to ensure there was no potential for the fire to restart.

Most of the timber had already burnt, but it could take another few days for the rest to burn through.

‘‘While it is still burning, there may be some smoke and a red glow visible at night,’’ the spokeswoman said. ‘‘The fire is contained inside earth bunds and patrolling is in place to ensure it stays in the confinement zone.’’

Southerly conditions over the weekend had helped take smoke out to sea, she said. The fire covered about two hectares of land in the recovery park.

It could not be doused with water, as that could increase the heat intensity.

Canterbury medical officer of Health Dr Alistair Humphrey earlier said the fire was unlikely to cause any health issues, but people should avoid exposure where possible by staying indoors and closing windows and doors.

‘‘The fire is being fuelled by untreated wood and is not dangerous from a public health point of view.

‘‘However, any kind of smoke is undoubtedly a nuisance,’’ he said.