Port Hills fire rages on, residents evacuated, dry weather to continue

A 100-hectare wildfire in Christchurch's Port Hills is still not contained; residents are being evacuated and a State of Local Emergency has been declared for Christchurch City (which includes Banks Peninsula) and Selwyn District.

The blaze broke out at about 2.15pm Tuesday in the Worsley area in Port Hills and has spread into Selwyn.

Flames could be seen scaling the hillside near Worsley Spur, setting alight pine trees and vegetation.

More than 130 firefighters were at the scene aided by 12 helicopters, and 25 trucks and tankers. Twenty-two Fire and Emergency crew will continue through the night.

People who have been evacuated from their homes in Early Valley, Worsley Spur, Hoon Hay Valley and Kennedys Bush still cannot return and have no idea yet when they will be able to.

Crews will also be checking overnight on people in Governors Bay and Early Valley Road.

The fire fight will ramp up again in the morning with 23 trucks back on site, as well as 13 helicopters and two planes.

The cause of the fire is unknown. FENZ has started an investigation and wants the public's help.

It's asking anyone who took photos or video of the Port Hills between a 1.45pm and 2.45pm this afternoon to email them in.

Commander Dave Stackhouse said firefighting efforts were focusing on the Worsley Spur flank of the fire and Summit Road. Crews are also carrying out structure protection around properties in Hoon Hay Valley Road.

The public is urged to stay away from the area and not fly drones anywhere near the blaze because the helicopters would need to be grounded.

No houses have been damaged, but five or six homes are under immediate threat.

'You've got to go'

The areas of Early Valley, Worsley Spur, Hoon Hay Valley and Kennedys Bush have been evacuated. Residents in other parts of Port Hills have been asked to prepare to evacuate.

Two evacuation centres are set up at Halswell Library and Community Centre, and the Lincoln Community Centre.

Antony Cook - who had to evacuate - said he was concerned about the fire spreading.

"It's probably a sense of déjà vu, we've been through this probably about seven years ago and it's probably not quite as dramatic as it was last time but it's still very concerning."

Tracey Menzies said she found out about the fire when a neighbour posted a message online.

"Someone posted a picture of a little bit of smoke and we thought 'oh, we'll watch that' and then next minute, it's like 'oh actually, this is big' so we called my son who was at home and said 'grab the photos and the dog and get out' and the firemen had already been there to say 'you've got to go'."

Menzies said she was also forced to leave her home during the last Port Hills blaze.

FENZ said the exact number of evacuated properties was not yet known.

Te Whatu Ora confirmed that 230 staff at Princess Margret Hospital were evacuated this afternoon.

Power restored

Power has been restored to all customers affected by the Port Hills fire.

The fire burned under power lines and tripped circuits at the Bromley substation, causing 39,000 customers in the east of Christchurch to lose electricity just before 3pm.

Orion general manager Steve Macdonald said power was restored to all customers within 25 minutes. He has not ruled out further power outages.

"There's no people without power at the moment. But what we need to be aware of is that any fire is a changing situation and as that fire moves, we may need to turn customers off to deal with that and make sure that our asset is safe for anyone to be around," Macdonald said.

Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger said the State of Local Emergency meant "we are better able to coordinate our response across all the various agencies involved, and will mean we can get assistance to where it's most needed. It also means the local controller can evacuate people or restrict access to affected areas as required".

A public health warning for smoke from the fire has been issued by Te Whatu Ora.

FENZ said people sensitive to smoke - like those with heart or lung conditions, pregnant, young children and the elderly - could experience symptoms like coughing, shortness of breath or eye, nose and throat irritation.

They are advised to close windows and doors and reduce outdoor exercise.

Motorists are advised to avoid the area.

El Niño and tinder-dry conditions

District Commander Dave Stackhouse said the fire was intense and being fanned by wind. Hot, dry, and windy conditions are expected to continue

MetService Meteorologist Heath Gullery told Checkpoint the conditions in the afternoon were "pretty bad", with winds reaching about 40km/h to 50km/h.

The smoke plume from the Christchurch Port Hills fire is easily visible on satellite imagery.

Another plume from a fire near Rakaia is also distinguishable. Both plumes are blowing across the Pacific Ocean reaching latitudes almost as far south as Dunedin within 5 hours.

Hot,… pic.twitter.com/58TWGrymfQ

— MetService (@MetService) February 14, 2024

Victoria University school of biological sciences senior lecturer Dr Nicola Day said the fire was not surprising.

"FENZ has been warning us all summer about tinder-dry conditions that will fuel fires and the winds today have really helped the spread. February, the end of summer, is when the vegetation is at its driest so that's providing good fuel for a wildfire."

Day said the recovery of the plants would depend on how the fire burned and for how long.

"I know that after the last fire on the Port Hills in 2017 the Christchurch City Council has been consulting with scientists, like Tim Curran from Lincoln University, about planting species that don't burn very well so could hinder fire spread. This could reduce fire spread and its impacts on peoples' homes and biodiversity. This event is a timely reminder of how we need to prepare for the combined effects of a warmer climate in conjunction with an El Niño year."

'Horrible memories' of 2017

National's MP for Banks Peninsula said today's Port Hills fire would be bringing back horrible memories of the deadly 2017 blaze.

Speaking during a general debate this afternoon, Vanessa Weenink said she was thinking of the emergency responders battling the fire.

"I know that for many people in my electorate, this fire will be bringing back horrible memories of the 2017 fire which burned for over 66 days and took the life of a firefighter, Steve Askin. I'd like to acknowledge his family."

Halswell councillor Andrei Moorse said a lot of havoc was caused in the 2017 Port Hill fires by rubberneckers trying to get too close to the action.

"You can see the fire from literally everywhere in Christchurch," Moorse said.

"Stay home, don't go close. Currently, there's people blocking roads, disrupting emergency services that are having to go to our quarry ponds, use their monsoon buckets.

"Just stay away, stay home. No one needs your insta, no one needs your TikTok."

Total fire ban in Canterbury

Environment Canterbury councillor Deon Swiggs, speaking from his Port Hills home, told the Nights programme the fire had spread up the hill, going through grassland and some of the forest in the area.

It was visible from as far as North Canterbury, he said.

"The smoke is spreading away from the city and all areas from most of the houses ... but it is incredibly disconcerting to see this, especially after we had [a fire in] the same place seven years ago."

The community was hoping it would not spread to other valleys or other parts of the hills and merge into one big fire, like it happened in 2017, he said.

"Ever since that fire back in 2017, we've been getting updates about fire loadings, what's going on, there's messages that go out constantly about 'beware of what you're burning'.

"We have a total fire ban in Canterbury at the moment, we've been very cautious about what events have been going on, if there are events, we've got fire trucks next to those, such as when there was hangi for Waitangi."

He said it was so dry even a small ember could spark a big fire.

Swiggs warned people to be prepared for changes in the situation as the wind changes directions too.