US billionaire Tony Malkin's fireworks led to the blaze near Arrowtown, according to Fire and Emergency New Zealand. Photo / Supplied and Getty Images
US billionaire Tony Malkin's fireworks led to the blaze near Arrowtown, according to Fire and Emergency New Zealand. Photo / Supplied and Getty Images
An American billionaire’s Queenstown pyrotechnic display spiralled out of control and led to a significant blaze after the fireworks malfunctioned, it has been revealed.
A report from Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) has detailed how the controversial New Year’s Eve fireworks display led to a significant blaze at theDalefield property linked to New York-based property tycoon Tony Malkin.
Before the fire, Malkin - who is the chief executive of Empire State Realty Trust, which owns the landmark New York skyscraper - had already upset neighbours of his Dalefield property outside Queenstown who were concerned about the planned fireworks disturbing horses and other livestock.
The blaze as seen from a neighbour's property.
More than 16 firefighters and numerous police attended the fire shortly after midnight, and it was extinguished after several hours.
The size of the fire was confirmed to be just under 0.5 hectares.
In a report released today, Fenz investigator Murray Milne-Maresca determined the blaze was accidental and caused by the fireworks malfunctioning.
“The carbon residue was still hot when it contacted the ground, setting the fire alight immediately.
Tony Malkin is the CEO of Empire Realty Trust, which owns the landmark Empire State Building in New York.
“If the pyrotechnics had performed correctly and the way they are designed, by the time they had reached [their] full altitude, [they] should have been cool or even cold on landing.
