Burning question: Emergency declared too late?

The state of emergency during February’s Port Hills fires was declared well after the idea was initially floated, documents provided to The Press show.

In the week of February 13, two separate fires raged uncontrolled in the hills above Christchurch before eventually forming one huge blaze. It covered about 1645 hectares, including the then 8-week-old Christchurch Adventure Park.

Eleven houses were destroyed as hundreds of firefighters battled the inferno from the ground and air.

City councillors Yani Johanson and Deon Swiggs first questioned whether a state of emergency was needed on February 14.

In a subsequent email on February 15, Johanson told fellow councillors, Mayor Lianne Dalziel and chief executive Karleen Edwards that it looked like ‘‘a nuclear bomb has gone off’’ as the suburb of Westmorland was evacuated. A state of emergency was eventually declared at 6.05pm on February 15.

Civil Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee yesterday reiterated his belief the call should have been made earlier.

‘‘If you look at the powers that immediately become available under a state of emergency, you can do more. I think it heightens people’s awareness of a problem,’’ he said.

Declaring a state of emergency gives extraordinary powers for a swift response, using methods such as forced evacuations and commandeering equipment.

A council spokeswoman said the state of emergency was not declared earlier because Dalziel was told the incident management team in the Selwyn district had advised it did not need ‘‘additional resources or powers’’.

Dalziel could not comment further until the council’s review of the Port Hills fires response was completed.