A Kaikōura has been left “gutted” after his house was destroyed by fire last night.
New images have shown the devastation caused by a raging wind-fueled blaze on Kaikōura’s Kincaid Rd overnight.
Five homes were razed to the ground as the intense winds made fighting the fires difficult.
Lance Hooper told the Herald he received a call from his landlord last night that his house had been destroyed in the blaze.
“It’s just gutting,” Hopper said.
“I have gone back to do a head count on my chickens - luckily they’re okay.”
Hooper also lost $2000 in cash he had in a safe, and said he only managed to save some rings.
Little is left of two homes seen by the Herald today beyond their concrete foundations. A chimney is all that remains standing on one property while charred roofing iron is scattered across the now-empty sections.
The area remains cordoned off, with property owners within the cordon being asked to stay away.
Eleven crews, heavy machinery and tree fellers, supported by two helicopters, continued to battle fires in Kaikōura this morning.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand incident controller Dave Key said the focus today is on active firefighting and strengthening containment lines.
“There’s a number of dangerous trees that are burning from the inside out, so that’s a priority for us,” he said.
“And strengthening our containment lines while we’ve got this small weather window before the wind picks up this afternoon and tomorrow.
“We’re asking the people in Kaikōura Flats area who haven’t been evacuated to be vigilant and if they see any fires to call 111 immediately.”
A total ban on outdoor fireworks and fires came into effect at midday in Marlborough, Canterbury and South Canterbury because of the extreme risk.
“We’re asking every landowner, agricultural contractor, forestry manager, lifestyle block owner, if they can go and check on any fires that they’ve had recently and make sure that they have been extinguished. We continue to work with police, and our priority again is containment of the fire and the welfare of the people who have been affected,” Key said.
Key said experts were in the area today to try and determine what caused last night’s fires.
State Highway 1 has now opened north of Kaikōura under traffic management and is fully open south, but people need to be vigilant for hazards.
However, Inland Rd and local roads between Old Beach Rd and State Highway 1, including Factory, Skevingtons, Hāpuku and Wilderness Rds, are still closed.
Will Doughty from the Kaikōura District Council said train tracks in the area will be under speed management.
All schools in the area are open today with the exception of Hāpuku School.
Takahanga Marae hosted 20 people overnight and Doughty said the council was grateful to Te Rūnanga o Koukourarata for the support it was providing.
“We now move into longer-term welfare support and needing to find longer-term options than just immediate shelter for people that may have been displaced.”
MetService has updated its warnings and watches, including upgrading wind warnings in the Wellington and Canterbury areas to red wind warnings. This means there is a threat to life from flying items and debris.
Below is a list of all the warnings and watches.
Strong Wind Warning – Red
Wellington and Wairarapa south of Carterton
Period: 10hrs from 8am-6pm on Thursday, October 23
Forecast: Severe gale northwesterlies with damaging gusts of 140km/h in exposed places.
Canterbury High Country
Period: 16hrs from 1am-5pm on Thursday, October 23
Forecast: Severe gale northwesterlies with damaging gusts of 150km/h in exposed places.
Christchurch and Canterbury Plains
Period: 6hrs from 10am-4pm on Thursday, October 23
Forecast: Severe gale northwesterlies with damaging gusts of 130km/h in exposed places.