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 quickly spread, and a number of properties were at risk. Emergency services carried out multiple evacuations and a state of emergency was declared by both Christchurch City and Selwyn District Councils. A residential structure was destroyed, and various other infrastructure were damaged or destroyed, including some damage to the Christchurch Adventure Park.

The fire burnt approximately 650 hectares across the Port Hills over three weeks and involved firefighters from over 45 brigades, contractors, multiple aircraft and ground machinery, a large number of support and incident management personnel, and Fire and Emergency’s specialist drone team. 

Fire and Emergency New Zealand Fire Investigation Report into the 2024 Port Hills fire

Specialist fire investigators undertook a comprehensive investigation to determine the origin and cause of the fire.

They determined a specific origin area of approximately five square metres about 50 metres off the side of Worsleys Road.

The investigation included interviewing 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 sent in by the public and captured on CCTV.  Fire investigators eliminated all possible ignition sources within the specific origin area. The owner of the property where the fire originated advised investigators there had been no activity or equipment used on the day the fire started.

As the cause of the fire cannot be proven to an acceptable level of certainty, it is classified as undetermined. If further information becomes available, the case will be reopened.

Fire and Emergency takes its obligations under the Privacy Act seriously and we are unable to disclose the location where the fire originated in order to protect the property owner’s privacy.

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.  

View the full investigation report.

Operational Review – 2024 Port Hills

Fire and Emergency commissioned an operational review into the 2024 Port Hills fire to provide the opportunity to identify areas for improvement and learn more about managing wildfires in areas where there is a high wildfire risk.

We are committed to continuous improvement and commission these types of reviews regularly when there have been significant or unusual events.

The Operational Review is still underway and will be available here once completed.