Editorial: Bush fires a Kiwi reality we all have to deal with

The Port Hills fires above Christchurch this week were a confronting sight and one that we are likely going to see more of. Photo / George Heard

OPINION

The sight this week of the parched Port Hills ablaze, with houses threatened by looming flames, was confronting but sadly one that New Zealand will likely see more and more of in coming years.

As Christchurch again licks its fire wounds - seven years after an eerily similar devastating scrub fire that claimed nine houses, two other structures, and the lives of a firefighting helicopter pilot and decorated SAS soldier – Kiwis need to realise that such traumatic events will likely not be rarities, and plans to mitigate them need to start now.

No longer are bushfires something we just see in news reports out of Australia or North America.

They are now an unwelcome part of our summers, especially when we get an El Nino weather pattern like we have this year, amid continued record temperature levels across the globe – and is likely to continue through March.

It’s been a hot, dry few months, especially in Canterbury where the region’s infamous nor-west winds have blown, and were responsible for fanning this week’s fire – and is due to return tomorrow and again put firefighters and residents back on edge.

A member of the public films as the Port Hills fires burn away in the background. Photo / Joe Allison

There were undoubtedly lessons learned in the Port Hills fires of 2017 – and of the Pigeon Valley fire of 2019, which was briefly the largest wildfire in New Zealand history before being surpassed by the Lake Ōhau fire a year later.

On Valentine’s Day when it was clear this was another big one, an early state of emergency was declared, giving authorities wider powers to get on top of things.

They also threw everything at the blaze early. There were soon 12 choppers in the sky. Heavy machinery gouged out fire breaks. Communication has been clearer, with residents, the media, and firefighting crews.

The wildfire that ravaged Nelson's Pigeon Valley in 2019 was the largest in 70 years. Photo / Leon Menzies

By yesterday, the fire which had spread across hundreds of hectares, had only claimed one container home and a few sheds. The flames had licked fenceposts of other properties, but more houses were saved.

Fire chiefs were cagey, saying they weren’t out of the woods yet but it appears they had pretty well contained, at least 70 per cent of it anyway.

And although fires were likely to become more frequent across the country during hot summer months, there were measures that can be taken to help prevent them spreading so widely, and quickly.

Yesterday, Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger spoke at a press conference about how “maybe we have to look at” how the Port Hills were managed in the future to prevent fires.

He said long grass was part of the natural area but also acted as “fuel”.

Changes were made after the 2017 fires about what people should be planting on their land, and they were advised on what to do if fire breaks out. Forestry was a different story – and changes there would take longer to implement.

Police and fire investigators are still trying to work out just what sparked the Port Hills fire. Whether it was foul play, misadventure, a dumb mistake or just bad luck is yet to be determined.

But there is a bigger question for New Zealand about what we can all do to try and prevent these fires becoming a heartbreaking, and deadly, commonplace event.