Mate lost his way in burn-off

A farmer leading a rural burn-off lost sight of his mate who was ‘‘miles off’’’ a planned route before discovering his burned body.

Coroner Chris Devonport released findings into the death of Denis Luke Hazlett, who was killed while helping friend James Cassidy in a burn-off on a Hurunui farm, North Canterbury, on October 15 last year.

The 71-year-old, who was a wellknown farming figure from Ohoka, helped Cassidy who planned to increase productivity on a 60 hectare block by spraying it off and burning the land.

According to the report, Cassidy, who had carried out some 37 burnoffs on his farm previously, showed the proposed area to Hazlett and Alan McKnight. He told Hazlett to head ‘‘basically in a straight line’’ towards a gate with a knapsack flame thrower.

With binoculars, Cassidy soon realised Hazlett was ‘‘miles off the track where he was supposed to be’’ – 20 metres above a creek bed.

‘‘He was still lighting fires around himself as he walked down the creek bed.’’

Unable to reach him on a radio, Cassidy moved closer and yelled to Hazlett, asking him how much fuel he had left and told him to come back up the hill. Hazlett said he had a quarter of a tank left and he would use the rest before returning.

‘‘After two minutes of attempting to burn off just using matches, as he did not have a flame thrower, Mr Cassidy looked up to where he thought Mr Hazlett would be but he could not see him,’’ Devonport said.

Cassidy said: ‘‘I started panick- ing; I could see smoke where he had been, but not Denis.’’

He rushed to the ute and picked up McKnight before driving to the spot where they last saw Hazlett. Cassidy then walked down the creek bed. ‘‘I could see the spots where Denis had been lighting the fires as he was walking along. I looked up the hill and saw Denis then. He was still on fire but was obviously dead.’’

Hazlett was found extensively burned 50 metres from the bottom of a gully on a steep hill.

Devonport said it was likely Hazlett was overcome quickly by smoke inhalation, and existing ischaemic heart disease contributed to him being incapacitated and unable to escape.

McKnight told police the ‘‘adventure and excitement’’ of big flames kept Hazlett going further.

‘‘As I understood it the fire crossed the creek and came in behind him, so he probably focused on going forward. Once the fire crossed the creek behind him it would’ve been on him within four to five seconds so there would have been no chance of getting out.’’

Hazlett’s death was not the first tragedy for the family. His brother Mike drowned in a tidal rip while on holiday in Bali in August 1992.

Both men came from a distinguished family of rugby players. Their other brother Jack, played 12 games as a prop forward for the All Blacks in 1966 and 1967 and they were nephews of W E ‘‘Big Bill’’ Hazlett who toured South Africa in 1928.

Denis Hazlett also played rugby for Otautau and represented Southland 12 times in 1966-67.