Visitors to village evacuated
Aoraki/Mt Cook is being evacuated as firefighters continue to battle a mammoth blaze which has closed two state highways and continues to threaten properties.
State Highway 8 and SH80 have been closed as firefighters fight the fire with 14 helicopters equipped with monsoon buckets, two fixed-wing aircraft, and 10 appliances.
Senior Constable Les Andrew, of Twizel, said police were evacuating visitors, including campers, to Aoraki/Mt Cook because the two closed highways were the only roads into the alpine village.
About 70 cars were being escorted out, Andrew said.
The helicopters are sourcing water from Lake Pukaki to fight the fire which flared up on a Twizel riverbed and spread into a large forest area on Mt Cook Rd, about 11.25am yesterday.
A Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) spokesman said a building at Pukaki Downs Station had been ‘‘lost’’ while the fire continued to threaten others, all of which had been evacuated.
‘‘The forecast is for wind to pick up later in the evening and the fire is not contained.’’
Principal rural fire officer for South Canterbury Rob Hands said firefighters would continue patrolling properties through the night, while the helicopters would be stood down when it got dark.
An incident management team would be hunkering down at the site for a few days to ensure the fire was ‘‘completely’’ extinguished, Hands said.
Andrew told Stuff, about 4.30pm, he believed the fire was started when a cooking stove fell over.
He said four properties were under threat from the fire.
He said ground crews could not fight the fire on the ground as the bush was too thick.
‘‘They can’t get into it,’’ he said.