The fire burning on the Port Hills is now 70 per cent contained and any threats from overnight were nullified thanks to the public calling 111.
Twenty-eight crews have taken over from their colleagues who have been battling the fire overnight, with 15 helicopters also joining the fight this morning as the fire enters its third day.
A local state of emergency remains in place, and onlookers have been told to keep away while fire crews continue to work.
A southerly wind change overnight sparked a warning for Christchurch residents that they could wake to a strong smell of smoke - but the wind has now dropped significantly, helping firefighting efforts.
Vulnerable people are still being warned that they could experience coughing or shortness of breath even if the air doesn’t seem overly smoky. They are being urged to stay indoors if it’s safe and keep windows and doors closed especially if they are close to the fire.
Twenty-three crews spent the night trying to control the fire, which became more dire as winds picked up.
Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell told RNZ while many residents had been allowed to return home, the fire was still not contained.
“I don’t want to underestimate the challenges still ahead for FENZ. It’s a very big fire, it’s over 600 hectares,” he said.
“It’s going to take weeks to get the fire completely out.”
The 100-plus firefighters, 14 helicopters, two planes and 28 fire engines were on their second day of trying to contain and douse the inferno after a local state of emergency was announced on Wednesday night. The Defence Force had also been helping.
A total of 110 properties were evacuated as the fire, centred around Worsleys Road in Cracroft, spread to cover 700ha yesterday. Some residents were allowed home at about 4pm yesterday and others were able to check on their properties and pets.
Emergency services showed the Herald their control centre at the top of the mountain range, situated to the south of the city, from where the full impact of the blaze was apparent.
Smouldering trees and a vast expanse of scorched scrubland could be seen over the landscape. Plumes of smoke were billowing out and trees were consumed by flames.
It had spread to the Christchurch Adventure Park, which was affected by the 2017 Port Hills fires, and Fire and Emergency (Fenz) Incident Controller Dave Stackhouse said it had crossed the Summit Rd further up the hill.
“We are aware northwesterly wind gusts will be picking up from midday, so our main priority continues to be suppression,” Stackhouse said. He said the hot and windy weather forecast for the area threatened to create “extreme fire behaviour”.
The Port Hills fire burned into the Christchurch Adventure Park on Thursday morning. Photo / George Heard
Police, the Minister of Civil Defence, and Fenz continued asking people to avoid the area as Inspector Ash Tabb said “disaster tourists” had been impeding the response, blocking roads and stopping vital equipment from coming in.
Fenz and police said it was too early to say what caused the fire - which ignited almost seven years to the day of the 2017 blaze.
Fire and police investigators were already trying to work out “whether there [was] any human involvement”.
‘Those hills are so ridiculously dry’
Affected resident Dominique Leening told the Herald it was the second time she had been evacuated in seven years, and she said she was sitting at home when the fire broke out.
She said this time around she felt very fortunate: “We had plenty of time to get the pictures off the walls, get the pets out”.
Yesterday afternoon she was working from her Worsleys Rd home and hadn’t known a fire had broken out. Her partner came home from grocery shopping and saw the fire on his way up Dyers Pass Rd.
Helicopters work to extinguish the fire. Photo / Joe Allison
They walked to the top of Worsleys Rd and saw flames so they packed up and left.
In 2017, the fire came close to their home – and with the hot, dry summer this year, they had been very wary “for a few months now and worried this might happen”.
“Those hills are so ridiculously dry,” Leening said.
‘Going to be long duration incident’
Stackhouse warned the fire was going to continue burning, saying “it is clear this ... is going to be a long-duration incident”.
He said: “Our firefighters and support crews are working tirelessly in challenging conditions.”
Fenz region manager Brad Mosby said they would continue dropping fire retardant and water on the fire until dark and again today.
A state of local emergency was declared for Christchurch City, including the Banks Peninsula, and the Selwyn District due to the impacts of the Port Hills fire which is burning uncontrolled. Photo / George Heard
He said the emergency response would continue for some time: “Even if we brought the fire under control today it would take many more days to ... mop up. We won’t be leaving the site until we are absolutely sure this fire is out.”
Firefighters had been working 12-hour shifts and were being rotated out for breaks and food, he said.
Mosby commended his firefighters for the work they had done, especially considering no homes had been damaged by the fire.
Firefighters battling the fire on Christchurch's Port Hills on Wednesday afternoon. Photo / George Heard
“We’re 24 hours into this event now, and for our fire crews to be protecting those people’s properties and still not losing a home, due credit for those efforts,” he said.
Minister of Civil Defence Mark Mitchell, who had been on the ground, called the response “world-class” and said he had “huge admiration” for those fighting the fire.
What caused the fire?
An investigation into the cause of the fire began yesterday, and Fenz has asked the public to get in contact with any photos or videos of the Port Hills taken between 1.45pm and 2.45pm on Wednesday.
This period covers the half an hour before the fire was reported until half an hour afterwards. Specialist wildfire investigators arriving from Tasman are also investigating what caused the fire.
Smoke billowed from the fire, seen here on Wednesday. Photo / Pierre Nixon
Civil Defence group recovery manager Richard Ball acknowledged the community impacted by the fire as they faced a second night away from home.
Ball said while the smoke may look like it is “diminishing” there was no room for complacency.
“Please don’t think it’s over ... we are working very hard, but protection of life and property is paramount.”
Anna Leask is a Christchurch-based reporter who covers national crime and justice. She joined the Herald in 2008 and has worked as a journalist for 18 years. She writes, hosts and produces the award-winning podcast A Moment In Crime, released monthly on nzherald.co.nz
Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.
