Christchurch Port Hills fire live updates: Families spend another night away from homes
The fire burning on the Port Hills is now 70 per cent contained and any threats from overnight were nullified thanks to the public calling 111.
Twenty-eight crews have taken over from their colleagues who have been battling the fire overnight, with 15 helicopters also joining the fight this morning as the fire enters its third day.
A local state of emergency remains in place, and onlookers have been told to keep away while fire crews continue to work.
A southerly wind change overnight sparked a warning for Christchurch residents that they could wake to a strong smell of smoke - but the wind has now dropped significantly, helping firefighting efforts.
Vulnerable people are still being warned that they could experience coughing or shortness of breath even if the air doesn’t seem overly smoky. They are being urged to stay indoors if it’s safe and keep windows and doors closed especially if they are close to the fire.
Twenty-three crews spent the night trying to control the fire, which became more dire as winds picked up.
STORY CONTINUES AFTER LIVE BLOG:
'Good window for firefighting through to Sunday': FENZ
Bailey Brannon
Fire and Emergency says there’s a “good chance for firefighting through to Sunday” before wind forecast to pick up again.
Worsely Spur residents will be allowed access to their properties with IDs.
They have made good progress on the fire and done good work in dry conditions.
FENZ said some of the residents have been coming through until 3pm and others for emergency reasons.
“Then there’s a change to strong northwest winds.
"A lot of effort will be put in in the next two days," Fenz said.
“Stay away, don’t use recreational access to the area. Allow us to do our job."
The cause of the fire was still being investigated.
The fire had still not been contained.
Fire and Emergency said how strong the wind is and how accurate the weather forecast is will affect how much firefighting they can do.
Returning residents receive safety instructions
Bailey Brannon
Bailey Brannon
FENZ will hold a media stand up at 4:30PM at the Community Hub at Worsleys Road and McVicar Drive.
FENZ say majority of residents returning home tonight
Bailey Brannon
Residents will have controlled access to Worsleys Road up to 358 Worsleys Road from 3pm. The road will only be open to residents - this includes those on foot or cycling. Residents will need to come to the bottom of Worsleys Hill and have their ID to gain access to the road.
This means the majority of residents will be back in their homes tonight, with a small number around Summit Road still evacuated.
Residents are urged to exercise caution and be aware that firefighting activities will be continuing, with fire trucks frequently passing up and down the road. They should also be prepared to evacuate again at short notice, including having a bag ready to go with clothes, medication or anything else they may need, and a plan for pets and animals.
The fire has not grown in size since this morning.
Please avoid the Port Hills mountain bike and walking tracks this weekend as our crews will be working around these areas throughout Saturday and Sunday.
Bailey Brannon
Christchurch Foundation charity opens fund for Port Hills
Bailey Brannon
Charity organization Christchurch Foundation opens fund to assist in future replanting of the impacted areas.
Christchurch Foundation assisted in the Tūi Corridor Programme, a project to plant a corridor of Tūi friendly vegetation throughout Port Hills, which has likely been severely damaged by the fire.
The foundation is working with Environment Canterbury to map the impacted areas and will continue to raise funds to support the replanting of the area while increasing fire protection.
Student radio RDU loses transmission tower
Bailey Brannon
The Port Hills fire has continued to cause destruction, with student radio RDU losing their transmission tower in the blaze.
The transmission tower was damaged beyond repair, with the remainder of the tower bulldozed.
In a recently issued statement issued by RDU, they assured their audience they are hard at work to get back on track and thanked them for their support.
The radio will continue to stream on their website.
Bailey Brannon
Firefighters continue to battle the blaze
Bailey Brannon
Vera Alves
Anything from Tisbury Lane down will be allowed - if FENZ confirm the decision to let residents back.
FENZ is collecting all phone numbers of residents to contact them within the next hour.
If required, there will be another community meeting at 7pm tonight.
Vera Alves
Irving says residents below the Worsleys Road track will be the ones allowed to their properties first.
Those residents around Summit Road will not be allowed.
FENZ say they expect to make the decision in the next hour.
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Incident controller Des Irving told the residents at the community meeting there will be a final inspection on Worsleys Road to decide if people can return to their homes.
Coastal Waitaki to be placed under prohibited fire season
Vera Alves
Fire and Emergency has today announced it will put coastal Waitaki under a prohibited fire season from Monday.
People in the region will no longer be able to light outdoor fires due to a "significant fire risk".
District Manager Phil Marsh said there was a great deal of very dry vegetation in the zone.
"Westerly winds are forecast for the remainder of summer and into autumn for Coastal Waitaki, which will further dry out the vegetation.
"That increases the likelihood of a fire starting and rapidly becoming difficult to control."
He said coastal Waitaki had several areas of higher fire risk - rural properties on the edge of towns where the potential for fires to start and spread to adjacent properties is very high, like the outskirts of Oamaru, Shag Point and Moeraki.
"We also have several areas of forestry which would be a challenge for ground-based response to a wildfire."
Marsh said people were also asked not to carry out activities that posed a fire risk such as mowing, welding and driving through long grass.
Vera Alves
Less than 20 residents are at the community meeting at the Halswell Library this morning - considerably less than yesterday
Port Hills fire: Woman’s frantic dash to save animals as flames move in on container home
Vera Alves
A Christchurch woman has lost her “whole life” after her container home was destroyed in the Port Hills fires.
Worsley Rd resident Anna Spark spoke to the Herald about her devastating ordeal.
Read the full story below.
Vera Alves
Vera Alves
A Westmorland resident told NZME she can smell smoke from the Port Hills blaze now, but it looks like the pockets of fire are smaller.
Vera Alves
The Fire and Emergency mobile command hub, along with the mobile police base has been set up for the third day of firefighting operations.
Fire and Emergency investigators along with Police investigators can be seen being briefed at the mobile community hub.
Helicopters back up for third day fighting Port Hills fire
Vera Alves
Helicopters have once again taken to the skies above the Christchurch Port Hills for the third consecutive day.
The smell of smoke is particularly noticeable around the Cashmere area.
The landscape reveals smouldered out scrub and charred pines trees which resemble burnt out matchsticks.
In various pockets, pillars of smoke continue to billow into the sky.
Some people able to return home as cordons lifting in some areas
Vera Alves
About 80 people remained out of their homes last night but with the cordons lifting in some areas that number will now be less.
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Stackhouse said "any evidence is useful" regarding the time the fire started and anyone with footage or photos or information should come forward.
Authorities looking into people ignoring fireworks bans
Vera Alves
Stackhouse reminded there was a fireworks ban across Canterbury.
He said here had been some people ignoring that, and that was being looked into by authorities.
Vera Alves
Mauger said "maybe we have to look at" how the Port Hills were managed in the future to prevent fires.
He said the long grass "was part" of the natural area but also acted as "fuel".
Changes were made after the 2017 fire about what people should be planting on their land, and they were advised on what to do if a fire breaks out.
Forestry was a different story.
'We have to keep the pressure'
Vera Alves
Dave Stackhouse, FENZ incident commander, said it was “tough work” for his teams in some areas with steep and challenging terrain.
"We can’t just sit on our laurels - we have to keep the pressure on and really nil this thing,” he said.
"You will see smoke drift today but not as bad as it has been in the last few days... a lot better today," said Stackhouse.
People may be able to go home this afternoon - Stackhouse will work with his team on that plan.
Vera Alves
The only structural damage is one container house and "some sheds".
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Minister for Emergency Management and Recovery Mark Mitchell said crews had "much better and faster control of this fire" thanks to the quick and decisive action taken by authorities on Wednesday.
"I'm a huge admirer of the response here, the way the team has come together... the local response has been so strong."
Christchurch Mayor Phil mauger and Selwyn Mayor Sam Broughton have been at the fire scene since 6.30am.
Mauger said it was "a lot better feeling up there" today.
But the fire was not over and FENZ had to keep their foot on the throttle, he said.
Broughton thanked the families of the first responders who may not have seen "mums and dads" since Tuesday as they worked to control the blaze.
State of emergency remains in place, onlookers told to keep away
Vera Alves
"We really want to reassure the public that we really are looking after their properties and their lives," Tabb said.
Tabb urged people who do not live in the area to stay away.
He said those impacted and worried about their houses do not need the extra stress of being watched by onlookers.
Minister Mark Mitchell reiterated the messages from FENZ and police, particularly about onlookers keeping away.
He said onlookers and unauthorised drones put unwanted pressure on the operation.
"An unauthorised drone could take a helicopter down," Mitchell said.
He added drones could mean aircraft have to ground for safety reasons.
He said the state of emergency remains in place.
Cause of the fire still under investigation
Vera Alves
Police say cause of fire still under investigation.
Inspector Ash Tabb appealed for anyone with information or footage to contact police urgently.
He reminded people not to use drones in the area as it was dangerous to the firefighting crews.
FENZ may have drones up looking for hot spots.
Cause of the fire still under investigation
Vera Alves
Police say cause of fire still under investigation.
Inspector Ash Tabb appealed for anyone with information or footage to contact police urgently.
He reminded people not to use drones in the area as it was dangerous to the firefighting crews.
FENZ may have drones up looking for hot spots.
Report any sightings of smoke across Canterbury to 111
Vera Alves
The public are being asked to be the "eyes and ears" of FENZ and call 111 with any sightings of smoke across Canterbury.
28 fire crews assisting
Vera Alves
Four or five aircraft have gone up in the Port Hills area as the fight to contain the fire continues.
A ground crew operator told TVNZ they were slowly getting more aircraft going up this morning.
"As it stands, there are 28 fire crews, as well as two fixed-wing aircraft assisting," a reporter said.
Vera Alves
Overnight, threats were "nullified" thanks to 111 calls from the public.
There is still an active fireground, which has to be balanced with public access needs.
Port Hills fire now 70 per cent contained
Vera Alves
The fire has a 14km perimeter but is now 70 per cent contained.
Areas of concern remain in Summit Road, the top end of Worsleys Road and top end of Kennedys Bush.
This morning, the tactic is still to hit it hard, strengthen the fire breaks.
Some cordons remain in place
Vera Alves
"We will continue to work until it is safe for people to re enter their properties," he said.
Some cordons would remain in place.
"We're now starting to think about the recovery phase," Ball said
Fire 'visibly reduced', Civil Defence spokesman says
Vera Alves
Civil Defence spokesman Richard Ball said everyone was relieved this morning to see the fire was greatly and visibly reduced.
Fenz Port Hills fire update
Vera Alves
Fenz is starting a fire update. We will be reporting live here.
Helicopters back fighting the Port Hills fire
Vera Alves
Helicopters have returned to the scene of the Christchurch Port Hills fires.
Vera Alves
A resident of Christchurch's eastern suburb, Linwood, says a distinct smoke smell is now evident.
Smoke from Port Hills fire more noticeable across the city today
Vera Alves
Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger feeling positive about the state of the Port Hills fire
Vera Alves
Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger is feeling positive about the state of the Port Hills fire, “as long as the wind stays down”.
He told TVNZ's Breakfast the strong southerlies forecast last night were not as bad as predicted and the fireground now had very little wind, which was helping firefighting efforts.
Asked how long it would take to put the fire out, he said as long as the wind stayed down, “I think things are gonna be reasonably positive towards the end of the day.”
“The main thing is we…declared [an emergency] early which gave the power to these guys behind us to do what they do best.”
Since the 2017 Port Hills fire an emergency operations centre had been established which meant all emergency and council staff involved were in the same room.
“They can go and talk to each other and make decisions instantly, which saves one hell of a lot of time.”
Mauger said many evacuated residents had been able to return home yesterday and those that couldn’t were very understanding.
Vera Alves
Minister: Weeks before fire completely out
James Wheeler
Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell has told RNZ while many residents had been allowed to return home, the fire was still not contained.
"I don't want to underestimate the challenges still ahead for FENZ. It's a very big fire, it's over 600 hectares," he said.
"It's going to take weeks to get the fire completely out."
28 crews take over, 15 helicopters in air
James Wheeler
Update from Fire and Emergency:
Firefighting continues on the Port Hills this morning, with 28 crews being briefed at 6am to take over from the night crews.
They will be supported by 15 helicopters dropping water on the fire and two fixed-wing aircraft laying fire retardant. Heavy machinery is also working to strengthen containment lines.
Today’s efforts are concentrated on containing the fire as well as the ongoing protection of structures.
Conditions first thing this morning are favourable for firefighting with no wind on the fireground, and an easterly wind forecast from lunchtime.
Fire and Emergency’s community hub will be open from 8am at the bottom of Worsleys Road and there will be a briefing for residents at the Halswell Community Centre at 11am.
Photos from the cordon
James Wheeler
From Newstalk ZB reporter Blake Benny:
First helicopters back in action
James Wheeler
A Port Hills resident told NZME the first helicopters of the day came over Westmorland at 6:20am, to battle the blaze.
James Wheeler
James Wheeler
23 firefighting crews have been battling the fire overnight, protecting structures and strengthening the containment lines around the fire.
Some evacuated residents were allowed to move back home yesterday but they are aware they may need to leave again at short notice if conditions change, Fire and Emergency says.
Other residents are being given managed access for tasks like checking on animals.
Anyone who needs access can talk to Fires and Emergency staff at the community hub at the bottom of Worsleys Road after 8am.
Smoke update for Christchurch
James Wheeler
Morning, and welcome to nzherald.co.nz's live updates of the Port Hills fire.
Overnight, the wind changed to a southerly so smoke from the Port Hills fire is more noticeable across most of the city.
This was expected, and it does not mean a significant change in the condition of the fire.
Canterbury Fire and Emergency say there is no need to call 111 if you smell smoke in the city. But – if you can actually see smoke or flames in a new place then please do call 111 and let them know so trained dispatchers can assess the information.
STORY CONTINUES
Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell told RNZ while many residents had been allowed to return home, the fire was still not contained.
“I don’t want to underestimate the challenges still ahead for FENZ. It’s a very big fire, it’s over 600 hectares,” he said.
“It’s going to take weeks to get the fire completely out.”
The 100-plus firefighters, 14 helicopters, two planes and 28 fire engines were on their second day of trying to contain and douse the inferno after a local state of emergency was announced on Wednesday night. The Defence Force had also been helping.
A total of 110 properties were evacuated as the fire, centred around Worsleys Road in Cracroft, spread to cover 700ha yesterday. Some residents were allowed home at about 4pm yesterday and others were able to check on their properties and pets.
Emergency services showed the Herald their control centre at the top of the mountain range, situated to the south of the city, from where the full impact of the blaze was apparent.
Smouldering trees and a vast expanse of scorched scrubland could be seen over the landscape. Plumes of smoke were billowing out and trees were consumed by flames.
It had spread to the Christchurch Adventure Park, which was affected by the 2017 Port Hills fires, and Fire and Emergency (Fenz) Incident Controller Dave Stackhouse said it had crossed the Summit Rd further up the hill.
“We are aware northwesterly wind gusts will be picking up from midday, so our main priority continues to be suppression,” Stackhouse said. He said the hot and windy weather forecast for the area threatened to create “extreme fire behaviour”.
Yesterday’s forecast high was 28C.
Police, the Minister of Civil Defence, and Fenz continued asking people to avoid the area as Inspector Ash Tabb said “disaster tourists” had been impeding the response, blocking roads and stopping vital equipment from coming in.
Fenz and police said it was too early to say what caused the fire - which ignited almost seven years to the day of the 2017 blaze.
Fire and police investigators were already trying to work out “whether there [was] any human involvement”.
‘Those hills are so ridiculously dry’
Affected resident Dominique Leening told the Herald it was the second time she had been evacuated in seven years, and she said she was sitting at home when the fire broke out.
She said this time around she felt very fortunate: “We had plenty of time to get the pictures off the walls, get the pets out”.
Yesterday afternoon she was working from her Worsleys Rd home and hadn’t known a fire had broken out. Her partner came home from grocery shopping and saw the fire on his way up Dyers Pass Rd.
They walked to the top of Worsleys Rd and saw flames so they packed up and left.
In 2017, the fire came close to their home – and with the hot, dry summer this year, they had been very wary “for a few months now and worried this might happen”.
“Those hills are so ridiculously dry,” Leening said.
‘Going to be long duration incident’
Stackhouse warned the fire was going to continue burning, saying “it is clear this ... is going to be a long-duration incident”.
He said: “Our firefighters and support crews are working tirelessly in challenging conditions.”
Fenz region manager Brad Mosby said they would continue dropping fire retardant and water on the fire until dark and again today.
He said the emergency response would continue for some time: “Even if we brought the fire under control today it would take many more days to ... mop up. We won’t be leaving the site until we are absolutely sure this fire is out.”
Firefighters had been working 12-hour shifts and were being rotated out for breaks and food, he said.
Mosby commended his firefighters for the work they had done, especially considering no homes had been damaged by the fire.
“We’re 24 hours into this event now, and for our fire crews to be protecting those people’s properties and still not losing a home, due credit for those efforts,” he said.
Minister of Civil Defence Mark Mitchell, who had been on the ground, called the response “world-class” and said he had “huge admiration” for those fighting the fire.
What caused the fire?
An investigation into the cause of the fire began yesterday, and Fenz has asked the public to get in contact with any photos or videos of the Port Hills taken between 1.45pm and 2.45pm on Wednesday.
This period covers the half an hour before the fire was reported until half an hour afterwards. Specialist wildfire investigators arriving from Tasman are also investigating what caused the fire.
Civil Defence group recovery manager Richard Ball acknowledged the community impacted by the fire as they faced a second night away from home.
Ball said while the smoke may look like it is “diminishing” there was no room for complacency.
“Please don’t think it’s over ... we are working very hard, but protection of life and property is paramount.”
Anna Leask is a Christchurch-based reporter who covers national crime and justice. She joined the Herald in 2008 and has worked as a journalist for 18 years. She writes, hosts and produces the award-winning podcast A Moment In Crime, released monthly on nzherald.co.nz
Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.