Spate of fires hits south

There is not a serial arsonist in the south, despite at least four suspicious fires in the region in less than a month, Southland’s fire service boss says.

New Zealand Fire Service Southland Area Commander Bruce Stubbs said the high number of structure fires in the region in the last month was concerning.

The Southland Times has reported eleven fires in the past month, and Stubbs said four of those were still being treated as suspicious.

A fire at the Karate Club on Ward St, Invercargill, on Tuesday has been determined arson and a 15-year-old was arrested in relation to the blaze.

The teen was referred to youth aid.

The fire which engulfed two buildings in Tuatapere on September 13 was deliberately lit, while the fires at Invercargill houses, one on Tweed St on September 13 and one on Nelson St on Monday were still being treated as suspicious, Stubbs said.

‘‘There has been a spate [of fires] definitely in September … more than I would expect for this time of year,’’ he said.

‘‘They’re not connected, that’s the nice thing … it’s not looking like a serial arsonist.’’

While the cause of some fires was still unknown, for others it was blatantly obvious.

For example, a blaze which began in a hedge and spread to a building south of Lumsden was caused by the ‘‘carelessness’’ of a farmer burning tree stumps down the road on a windy day unsuitable for fires, Stubbs said.

The Southern Rural Fire Authority had plenty of information on offer for farmers, including weather conditions and advice on when is good, and when isn’t, to burn, he said.

‘‘The information couple of clicks away.’’

Stubbs also encouraged farmers to check any equipment which may not have been used during

is

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a winter months before firing it up.

As for those in residential areas like Invercargill, the Nelson St fire sent a very clear message, he said.

‘‘That family was able to get out because they had working smoke alarms.’’

Eighty per cent of fire fatalities happened in places without working alarms, he said.

With daylight savings starting on Sunday, the Fire Service had renewed calls for people to not only change their clock but also their smoke alarm batteries, he said.

‘‘A working smoke alarm is the best type of insurance you can have.’’

Meanwhile, a Waituna farming family have had another blow as 40 of their calves were claimed by a blaze which also damaged their calf shed.

Charles Irving said the blaze happened on his family’s farm on Kapuka South Rd, near Waituna, when vets were de-horning the calves.

‘‘The gas bottle they were using caught fire.’’

Charles’ wife Karen, daughter Ruth Bruinsma, and Ruth’s husband Monne were hit with a $157,000 bill earlier this year for a consultant and Environment Southland resource consent fees when the family attempted to convert a farm to dairying.

Monne said vet staff told him the fire spread from one side of the shed to the other in about 10 seconds.

Only five calves survived the blaze, one of which later had to be put down.

While the fire was a tragic accident, Bruinsma said at least none of the vet staff or firefighters who attended were hurt.

Irving said the community had been amazing since the fire, donating about 40 calves to replace those lost, and it appeared the shed could be repaired.

Southland man Doug Fieten is also grateful to one of his son Bryce’s neighbours, who knocked on Bryce’s door to alert him to a burning shed. The shed was used to store implements and household items.