US fires dwarf largest NZ blazes

Wildfires ravaging California ‘‘dwarf’’ the biggest bushfires in New Zealand, a Kiwi involved in the international firefighting effort says.

Army Sergeant Alex Walker, from Burnham Military Camp near Christchurch, said firefighters had to drive two hours around the fire’s perimeter just to reach the right point to fight the 6000-square kilometre blaze. The Port Hills fire was about 21 sq km.

Walker, the sole emergency responder from Burnham to travel to the United States, was among 34 Kiwi fire personnel who returned home on Saturday morning. Another 65 firefighters returned yesterday.

About 10 Canterbury firefighters had been involved in the international firefighting operation, a Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesman said.

Most Kiwi firefighters were fighting the Carr and Hirz wildfires, two unprecedented blazes that have already killed 14 Californian firefighters and residents, and claimed more than 1200 homes and businesses.

‘‘The scale of the fires and the intensity was crazy, really,’’ Walker said. Fire crews could feel the ‘‘unbearable’’ heat of the fires from more than 500 metres away, he said.

‘‘For instance the Port Hills fire – that was really big for us, but compared to the fires over there, it would just be a blip.’’ Walker did not fight the Port Hills fires, but was involved in tackling a devastating fire in the Coromandel in January last year.

In California, Walker was responsible for up to five teams of five to 20 firefighters. As a task force leader, he directed the firefighting effort as the conditions dictated.

‘‘The way the fires behave over there is different. It all comes down to the risk and the hazards, with the intensity of the fires and how quickly they grow. It’s so hot and dry up there,’’ he said.

Walker said he and other firefighters would be stopped by Californians thanking them for their work.

‘‘You would be at the petrol station filling up and they will come straight up to you and ask you if you’re Australian. ‘‘Whenever you would be stopped or talk to a passerby they were really appreciative.’’ In spite of the gruelling work, Walker said he would happily return to California given the opportunity. He spoke highly of other countries’ firefighters and the camaraderie they built during his fiveweek trip.

‘‘The 12 of us that went to the Carr fire all clicked really well, so it was brilliant to be able to get a whole bunch of different agencies – Australian, New Zealand – to just work together and do it quite well.’’

‘‘The Port Hills fire – that was really big for us, but compared to the fires over there, it would just be a blip.’’