Some residents are re-entering their homes in the Christchurch suburb of Hei Hei as firefighters continue to dampen down areas razed by a large fire today.
Some residents are re-entering their homes in the Christchurch suburb of Hei Hei as firefighters continue to dampen down areas razed by a large fire today.
Police confirmed some cordons had been lifted while others - on Roberts Rd between Matangi St and west to the 100km sign on RobertsRd - remained in place.
The remains of a house on Roberts Rd. Photo / Martin Hunter
All other roads have reopened and residents were returning to their properties.
Police thanked the public for their patience and the Fire Service for bringing the blaze under control so quickly.
There were reports two houses have been lost in the fire.
Cameraman Joe Morgan, who was at the scene, said he saw the fire cross a paddock in "10 to 15 seconds flat" before smoke filled the area and explosions were heard from a nearby house.
"It ripped across an open paddock ... it skimmed over the short dry grass."
He said some residents were saying fallen power lines, which caused a power outage shortly before the blaze began, could have been at fault.
Bystanders said three helicopters fighting the flames had been swooping down to fill water buckets from Gilberthorpe School's swimming pool.
Matangi St resident Ben Mulholland said his house was evacuated shortly after 2.30pm.
"I could smell burning and I wondered if it was anything to do with the power cut, then about 10 minutes after that I could see lots of smoke and people were driving up and down the street and yelling, 'Get out, get out.'
"There is a lot of firemen and policemen around, a lot of fire trucks so I doubt it will get much bigger," he said.
"But in the last half hour or so they have been moving us further away, it's probably just a safety precaution but at the same time I am assuming the worst -- that perhaps it's not 100 per cent sorted yet."
There were hundreds of people gathered at the perimeter of the area, Mr Mulholland said.
Beckenham local Rod Cameron said a massive haze of smoke was blocking views of the Port Hills. He said smoke had drifted as far as his home -- roughly 14km away.
Mr Cameron said he had to close the windows in his house, as the smell of the fire filled the air.
"We are continually urging landowners to maintain trees that are near power lines to avoid power outages," Mr Jamieson said.
"That message is doubly important in these tinder dry conditions when tree damage can cause fires."
He said Orion had taken all practical steps to minimise the risk of fires being sparked by electrical equipment.
"Several weeks ago as the region was drying out we changed our operating practices because of the heightened fire risk.
"For example, normally a piece of equipment called a 'recloser' automatically restores power to an overhead line after a momentary power cut. So if a tree branch falls on a line in high winds it may cut power for a second or two. When the branch then falls to the ground the recloser automatically reinstates power to the line.
"Automatic reclosers are a great means of restoring power quickly but every time they try to reinstate the power they can create a spark."
Orion has shut down all automatic reclosers on its rural network and will manually check overhead lines to find the cause of any power cuts while the fire danger remains high.
"Unfortunately this means it will take longer to get the power back on, but we can't take the risk of starting a fire in the current conditions."
The whole west of Christchurch covered in smoke! Massive fire being fanned by the wind, hope no-ones hurt!
