Police are urging “disaster tourists” to stay away from the massive fire burning uncontrolled on Christchurch’s Port Hills.
Fire crews resumed their battle against the blaze this morning with 23 appliances, supported by 13 helicopters and two fixed-wing aircraft, tackling it from the ground and air.
The main fire is now centred around Summit Road with 80 properties having been evacuated.
Fire and Emergency’s Brad Mosby said there have been no significant outbreaks overnight and the fire has burnt through 630 HA with a 12km perimeter. No properties have been lost.
“Our approach today will be to hit the fire hard,” Mosby said.
But Police manager Ash Tabb said disaster tourists were becoming an issue for those fighting the fire, as they keep blocking roads and stopping equipment coming in.
People wanting to take a look at the fire were also stopping residents from coming in and out.
“We just need people out of the way.”
These “tourists” are affecting not only EMS staff accessing the fire site but also residents getting in and out at what was already a very stressful time.
Tabb said the behaviour’s driven by people “wanting to get shots on their social media accounts”.
Mark Mitchell, the Civil Defence Minister in Christchurch, joined the plea for people to stay away and stop interfering.
“Allow FENZ and police to do their job.”
Canterbury Civil Defence group controller Richard Ball reassured the community that everything possible is being done to protect them and said response and recovery in an emergency like this is very much a team effort.
He acknowledged the people affected by the blaze, as well as those affected by the similar fire in 2017 - almost seven years ago to the day.
Selwyn Mayor Sam Broughton and Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger said emergency services “know what they are doing”.
“It is running extremely well... we declared the state of emergency so the people who know what they are doing really have the power to do their best,” said Mauger.
Broughton thanked the frontline staff for their work and acknowledged the emotional toll the fire had on people who might be affected and urged those struggling to seek help.
”The fire is not a respecter of boundaries,” said Broughton.
“We are looking forward to this being brought under control.”
He and Mauger acknowledged conditions could change at any time and said the forecast wind was not their friend.
It was too early to say what started the fire but an investigation is underway to ascertain “whether there is any human involvement”.
The fire has reached the boundary of the adventure park but has not spread inside.
More than 100 firefighters and a dozen helicopters battled the blaze yesterday. Dozens of properties were evacuated, including a nearby hospital, as plumes of thick, black smoke spewed out - and the city’s mayor Phil Mauger and neighbouring Selwyn District Council mayor Sam Broughton agreed to announce a local state of emergency at 6.13pm yesterday.
Overnight, 22 crews continued battling the blaze, Fire and Emergency said.
Residents who were evacuated yesterday were not able to return home last night, and cordons remain in place.
An investigation into the cause of the fire has begun, and Fire and Emergency has asked the public to get in contact with any photos or videos of the Port Hills taken between 1.45pm and 2.45pm yesterday. This period covers the half hour before the fire was reported until half an hour afterwards.
“People who have photographs or videos are asked to email them to PortHills2024Photos@fireandemergency.nz with their name and contact details, when the photo or footage was taken and where the photographer was.
The blaze was first reported 2.15pm on Worsleys Rd, Cracroft, in the south of the city and Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) said some vegetation had caught alight. Onlookers eager to see the fire, however, disrupted the response, Fenz said.
The fire happened a day after the seven-year anniversary of another fire on the Port Hills, which saw swathes of the same area torched in 2017. Christchurch reached 29C yesterday, MetService said.
Fenz and police evacuated the immediate area around Worsleys Rd, Worsleys Spur, and Early Valley. Fenz also closed the Summit Rd between Dyers Pass and Gebbies Pass Rds, where Fenz told people to be ready to evacuate at short notice.
Emergency services set up evacuation centres at nearby Halwell Library and Community Centre and the Lincoln Community Centre. Mobile alerts were sent to nearby cellphones.
As the fire burned, tens of thousands of people were left without electricity, particularly in eastern areas of the city.
The National Public Health Service issued a warning about the smoke and the harm it could cause residents nearby.
“Air around this location is smoky and there is potential that people who are sensitive to smoke - such as those with heart or lung conditions, people who are pregnant, young children and the elderly - may experience symptoms like coughing, shortness of breath or eye, nose and throat irritation,” the National Public Health Service said.
Canterbury Medical Officer of Health Dr Matt Reid told people to keep their windows and doors shut, switch air conditioners to recirculate air inside their houses, look out for people at risk and keep pets inside.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said: “[I am] thinking of those in the Port Hills who are currently facing [the] large fire.
“Stay safe and please follow the advice of authorities who are right now on deck providing help on the ground and fighting the blaze.”
Other local politicians including Labour MP Dr Duncan Webb, National MP for Banks Peninsula Vanessa Weenink, and city councillor Sara Templeton all asked people to follow instructions of emergency services.
Fenz said 130 firefighters, 12 helicopters and 25 trucks responded to the fire, which had spread over an area of 100 hectares by 7pm last night.
Authorities asked throughout the evening for people to stay away from the area, including by not flying drones, so emergency services could battle the blaze.
Mauger and Broughton announced the local state of emergency just before 7pm and said it included Christchurch City, Banks Peninsula and the Selwyn District.
“The declaration means we are better able to co-ordinate our response across all the various agencies involved, and will mean we can get assistance to where it’s most needed,” Mauger said.
“It also means the local Controller can evacuate people or restrict access to affected areas as required.
“With hot, dry, and windy conditions expected to continue, there have been a number of evacuations in the area.”
Smoke could be seen city-wide and as far as Ashburton, some 77km away. The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research said the smoke plumes could be seen from weather satellites.
Resident Mark Howell told the Herald: “It’s pretty f***ing intense. It’s like last time,” suggesting it was a similar feeling to the Port Hills fires of 2017.
“The helicopters are literally just a dot with the smoke. Mum said she got an evacuation notice. It’s all a bit scary, fingers crossed it won’t be too bad. They’ve got loads of people working on it.”
A Herald reporter on the scene saw anxious residents looking on at the fire, worried, as orange flames could be seen rising from below the smoke.
Sirens and helicopters could be heard across the Port Hills as emergency services blocked people from passing cordons.
“You can actually see the flames coming down the hill. It’s heading towards the pylons,” another resident told the Herald.
“It’s coming down the hill towards Cashmere Rd. You can actually see the flames. The helicopters are still going.
“[The fire is] pretty big.” “I can’t see any houses on fire from here - you can definitely see flames though.”
Fenz earlier advised Canterbury had been put under extreme fire danger yesterday.
Worsleys Rd, where Fenz said yesterday’s fire was reported, was at the epicentre of the devastating 2017 fires. Wildfires burned through a total of 1600ha, destroyed nine homes and damaged another five.
It took 66 days before those fires were fully extinguished. One life was lost - helicopter pilot Steve Askin.
Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.
Pierre Nixon is a Multimedia Journalist and breaking news reporter for the Herald based in Christchurch.
Image 1 of 26: Firefighters battle an uncontrolled blaze on Christchurch's Port Hills. Photo / George Heard
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