Lake Tekapo fire spread close to power station

Photo / Facebook / Mid South Canterbury Fire and Emergency

A wildfire at Lake Tekapo yesterday morning went very close to the Tekapo power station, prompting a strong warning for landowners to make sure any old land management fires are completely extinguished.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand incident controller Steve Ochsner said the fire was reported at 2.45am yesterday, very close to the Tekapo power station and near Lake Tekapo Village.

The fire was fanned by extremely strong winds overnight and burned through a range of vegetation on privately owned land, including forestry, farmland and wilding pines. Crews worked to protect the power station in the early hours, and it was no longer at risk, Ochsner said.

Fire ripped through the hillside near the Tekapo Dam. Photo / Supplied

Thanks to steady rain and calm conditions in the area, the fire was no longer running, providing crews with the chance to create a control line. Crews from Lake Tekapo, Twizel, Fairlie and Burkes Pass fought the fire, which covered about 29ha, overnight.

“This would have been a completely different story if the wind had kept up and we hadn’t had the rain,” Ochsner said.

The circumstances of the fire, which are not considered suspicious, will be investigated.

Mid South Canterbury district manager Rob Hands said it was pure luck the weather had changed, bringing calm conditions and rain to the area.

“Lake Tekapo area has a high risk of wildfire all year round. This morning’s incident shows how easily a fire will run in windy conditions, so people have to be vigilant all the time and take extra care when they are lighting any fires on their own property.”

Fenz is working with the Mackenzie District Council, Environment Canterbury and the Department of Conservation on a wildfire risk reduction programme for the Lake Tekapo community.

Hands said the fire illustrated just how important that work was.

The last crew and digger were scheduled to finish work at the site yesterday.