2024 Port Hills Fire Investigation Report

24 September 2024

A fire investigation report into the Port Hills fire, which started on 14 February 2024, has located a specific origin area on private property but the cause of the fire remains undetermined.

District Commander Dave Stackhouse says, "Investigators were unable to identify a specific ignition source. As the cause of the fire cannot be proven to an acceptable level of certainty, it is classified as undetermined. However, if further information becomes available, the investigation will be reopened."

Dave Stackhouse says an examination of the scene identified a specific origin area of approximately five square metres, on private property about 50 metres off the side of Worsleys Road.

"The owner of the property where the fire originated cooperated with the investigation and advised that there had been no activity or equipment used on the day the fire started," Dave Stackhouse says.

"Our legal advice is that, due to privacy reasons, Fire and Emergency is unable to release the specific origin area of the fire because it is on private property," he says.

"We acknowledge this may be disappointing for all those who were affected by the Port Hills fire in February and were hoping for answers," the District Commander says.

"Our investigation into the cause of the fire included three experienced wildfire investigators working alongside the New Zealand Police and who arrived in Christchurch the day after the fire started.

"They interviewed three witnesses who were in the vicinity of the fire when it started and were the first to report the fire to 111. They assessed photos and videos of the early stages of the fire which were sent in by the public or captured on CCTV," he says.

"In the lead up to the fire, Canterbury was experiencing a warm, dry summer, combined with dry vegetation across the District. These conditions assisted in the ignition and spread of the fire."

Dave Stackhouse says that while the cause of the fire is undetermined, significant incidents like this one are a strong reminder that everyone should take steps to protect themselves from wildfire.

"Now is the time to prepare for the fire season. We encourage the community to develop an emergency plan, this should include a plan for pets and livestock," he says.

"We also recommend that property owners take action to create a defensible space around their properties, remove unwanted vegetation and leaves and use low flammability plants to assist with creating a green fire break around properties."

People can find out more information about protecting themselves from wildfires on the Fire and Emergency New Zealand website and at Checkitsalright.co.nz.

"Fire and Emergency extends its thanks to the many volunteers and staff who worked long hours to contain and extinguish the Port Hills fire.

"We also want to acknowledge and thank partner agencies for their support throughout the response and the Port Hills residents and Christchurch community for their cooperation.

"We would also like to thank everyone who contributed to our investigation through sending in photos and videos of the fire during the incident," Dave Stackhouse says.

A copy of the fire investigation report can be found here.

Background

Just after 2pm on 14 February 2024, Fire and Emergency New Zealand was alerted to a vegetation fire near Worsleys Road on the Christchurch Port Hills. The fire burnt through approximately 650 hectares and destroyed a residential structure and various infrastructure, including causing some damage to the Christchurch Adventure Park.

The fire burnt across the Port Hills for three weeks and involved firefighters from across Canterbury, multiple aircraft and ground machinery, a large number of support and incident management personnel, and Fire and Emergency’s specialist drone team.