Empire State Building owner Tony Malkin (inset) set off fireworks that are believed to have caused this blaze near Arrowtown. Photo/ Supplied/Getty Images
Empire State Building owner Tony Malkin (inset) set off fireworks that are believed to have caused this blaze near Arrowtown. Photo/ Supplied/Getty Images
A controversial New Year’s Eve fireworks display at a US billionaire’s property outside Queenstown is understood to have caused a large scrub fire.
The New York-based billionaire owner of the Empire State Building, Tony Malkin, had upset neighbours of his Dalefield property with plans for an extravagant 14-minute fireworks display to bring in 2023.
Now, several neighbours who were watching the display closely with fears for their animals, believe that a sizeable blaze was started by the fireworks.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) said there were three separate fires on steep terrain which spanned just under 0.5 hectares of land in Dalefield near Arrowtown.
All three fires were caused by fireworks, Fenz said, and were contained about 2.30am.
The fireworks plans of the property tycoon - he is the Empire State Realty Trust chairman, president and chief executive - had enraged neighbours, the majority of whom owned horses and other livestock animals.
They even launched an online petition, ‘Neighbours with animals say Neigh to Queenstown fireworks’ and had gained more than 600 signatures.
Last night's blaze as seen from a neighbour's property. Photo / Supplied
The locals felt that fireworks, or pyrotechnics, had no place in rural settings.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand had approved a safety plan for the private display, and neighbours had been advised to speak to the Ministry for Primary Industries and the SPCA.
One neighbour spoken to by the Herald this morning said they had moved their animals away for the night but watched the drama unfold on social media last night.
“Fire was obviously our main concern... and it just seemed ludicrous to have a commercial-based fireworks display in a rural area. It just seems to fly in the face of logic with stock and the fire risk,” said the neighbour, who wished to remain anonymous.
“But there’s a bigger story here of someone who has money and seeming to be able to do whatever they want.
“It’s just not very neighbourly what they have done. We highlighted that at the start.”
Tony Malkin is the CEO of Empire Realty Trust which owns the landmark Empire State Building in New York. Photo / File
The first that neighbours knew of the fireworks was a public notice in the local Mountain Scene newspaper a week beforehand.
A spokeswoman for the Malkin family said, when contacted by the Otago Daily Times this morning, that “we are deeply grateful for the expert work of Fire Emergency New Zealand and the police.’’
Liz Park leases a block of land at Dalefield for her daughter’s retired eventing horse, Louie, who is 18-years-old.
Park said she given up her own New Year’s Eve party to spend the evening with Louie, and was distressed by how upset he became during the fireworks and the subsequent fire.
“I wish I could have a photo for you of the horse’s eyes. They were bulging out of his head,” she said.
Park said she was lucky she had a massive paddock so Louie did not bolt the fences.
However, his reaction was still “bloody horrific’' and Fenz deserved a “right royal bollocking”.
She gave them one herself during a 20-minute phone call to Fenz staff in Dunedin, she said.
“I wish they could have seen what it was like.’’
Steve Turek, Fenz national manager readiness and recovery, this afternoon responded to criticism from locals about their decision to allow the pyrotechnics display to go ahead.
“Certification for pyrotechnic displays on private land is issued by an independent compliance certifier under the WorkSafe regime. Fire and Emergency provides advice on the safety plan for such events,” he told the Herald.
“In this case, our staff reviewed the safety plan for the event and agreed to it. The Dalefield area was not in a restricted fire season on New Year’s Eve as the fire indices did not meet the threshold for imposing restrictions.”
A specialist fire investigator has conducted a scene investigation today and Fenz say his report “will be prepared and reviewed in the normal way before being released”.
In a statement to the ODT before the event, the property owners said they had “deep and long-lived social and charitable connections” in the area.
“As a courtesy, beyond any requirement, mindful of house pets and livestock, we have reached out to neighbours to ensure they are appraised [sic] of our plans,” the statement said.
“We will happily consider any reasonable request from our immediate neighbours for financial assistance to move their livestock.
There was no requirement for the Queenstown Lakes District Council to approve fireworks displays, and council media adviser Sam White told the ODT there were no provisions available to council for it to address potential issues regarding fireworks in the district.
Queenstown, Wanaka and other idyllic Central Otago spots have become a new playground for super-wealthy Americans in recent years.
Controversial US billionaire and Trump donor Peter Thiel has snapped up a $13.5 million lifestyle block on the shores of Lake Wanaka, while Ex-NBC journalist Matt Lauer, who lost his job as one of the world’s highest paid news anchors after a complaint of “inappropriate sexual behaviour in the workplace”, owns a similarly-priced mega property at nearby Lake Hawea.
