Greymouth firefighters kept busy over weekend

After a restless weekend, the volunteers had an early morning wake-up call at 3.30am today for what turned out to be a false alarm at the Granger House rest home. Photo / File

Greymouth firefighters had little time to rest at the weekend, fielding nine calls from Friday afternoon until early today.

The brigade was called to rescue a child snagged in a tree at the Barnardos Early Learning Centre in Alexander Street, about 1.45pm on Friday.

A couple of hours later the brigade was out again, this time to Boddytown to an out of control and unpermitted burn at Ridgeway Drive.

About 3.30pm on Saturday, firefighters were on the way to a car crash at Turiwhate when they came across another out of control scrub burn at the Kumara Tram, where the West Coast Wilderness Trail exits State Highway 6, just past the Taramakau Bridge.

Deputy fire chief Graeme O'Dea said that fire, extending over about 50 square metres, was not permitted and was "just dumb" given the dry conditions of the past week.

"It was quite a large scrub fire and was causing quite a few problems, with traffic and smoke going across the road," Mr O'Dea said.

They spent about an hour fighting that one, while about the same time the Hokitika Volunteer Fire Brigade was dealing to a permitted burn which had spread into scrub, on a lifestyle property at Three Mile.

Greymouth volunteers were out again very early yesterday morning, this time to extinguish a small fire on the deck of a Tasman Street property, apparently started by a burning cigarette butt.

About 4pm yesterday the brigade had to use a chainsaw to get access to a small fire found burning under a house in Chapel Street. Mr O'Dea said the cause of that fire was not yet known but was being investigated.

The brigade was called to Blaketown beach off the end of Robinson Street a few hours later, about 8.45pm, to extinguish a fire left burning amid driftwood. When the brigade arrived the fire was unattended.

They later dealt with an electrical fire in High Street.

After a restless weekend, the volunteers had an early morning wake-up call at 3.30am today for what turned out to be a false alarm at the Granger House rest home.