Hurunui District fire update #2

27 January 2024

Firefighters and heavy machinery are continuing to work on putting out the fire beside the Hurunui River at Domett.

 Fire and Emergency Incident Controller Bruce Janes says there are still pockets of active fire being extinguished and “the long hard slog” of strengthening the perimeters of the fireground and mopping up hotspots is underway. The air attack has finished but diggers are still on site.

 “Our aim is to have the perimeter fully secured by dark,” he says.

 Fire and Emergency had a strategy of escalating the resources sent to vegetation fires on days like today when the fire danger is extreme. That strategy had paid off today, Bruce Janes said, enabling firefighters to contain the fire reasonably quickly.

No houses were damaged but one of the farm buildings that was destroyed by fire had been part of an old railway station, which was being used to store hay.

 

One crew will patrol the fireground overnight and up to 25 firefighters would be back tomorrow to continue mopping up. They would be supported by heavy machinery and one aircraft would be available if needed.

 

The fire began on the side of SH1, and its cause is under investigation.