GRASS FIRE AT HALSWELL

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27873, 23 January 1956, Page 10

GRASS FIRE AT HALSWELL

MOB OF SHEEP SCORCHED OLD HOUSE DESTROYED An old two-storey house was destroyed, a mob of 80 sheep was scorched, and 200 to 300 acres of tinder-dry pastures were burnt when fire swept over a strip of country between the back of the Royal New Zealand Air Force station at Wigram and Halswell yesterday morning and early yesterday afternoon. The fire approached close to some farmhouses during its wild course, and in at least one instance the occupants left their home as. smoke swirled around it. Only the herculean efforts of dozens of fire fighters saved more property from destruction.

As the flames swept across the parched country before a boisterous north-westerly wind, Halswell township lay in its path. Later, when there was a wind change to the south, there were some fears that the blaze might be forced across the main highway between Christchurch and Halswell, and sent off in the direction of the Port Hills. The fire fighters were able, however, to confine the outbreak to about half a dozen farms.

The blaze began on the farm of Mr T. H. Tippett, which fronts MidLincoln road. On Saturday morning there was a fire in this area in which about five chains of gorse fence were burnt. The stumps of this gorse continued to smoulder, and after breakfast yesterday Mr Tippett went out with 50 gallons of water to damp down the area. But as he attended to one section of the fence sparks from the other end apparently ignited the short dry grass, and before Mr Tippett could take further action the flames were racing out across his paddock. He had no chance to remove a mob of 80 ewe hoggets, which he values at about £3 a head. They were grazing nearby and the fire went through them. Yesterday afternoon little groups of blackened sheep stood forlornly about the paddock. Those worst burnt had already been shot, and 13 carcases lay about the field. House Burnt Near Mr Tippett’s property the fire destroyed an old unoccupied twostorey house belonging to Mr W. James. It also took in its stride a shed housing farm implements. Leaping across Mid-Lincoln road the fire- again headed across country. On Mr C. H. Campion’s property lucerne was dry enough to burn and the fire went through 12 acres of this crop in addition to 12 acres of riverbed. A new diesel pumping plant bought only 10 days ago was burnt and the fire came within a quarter of a mile of the Campion home, hear which were 3000 to 4000 bales of hay. Mrs Campion said last evening that she was sure that only the excellent work of a Paparua county fire-fighting unit had saved their home. On this property boundary fences worth about £3OO were destroyed and to keep about 40 cows in some emergency fencing had to be done last evening. Mr A. J. Cunningham successfully ploughed a break to contain the fire and only about three acres of his grasslands were burnt.

As the fire came within about 500 yards of the old ' Oaklands homestead, on the property of Mr Karl Scott, and smoke swirled around the old building, Mr R. C. Garnett drove down the long drive from the homestead with his mother and father. The fire came within about 20 yards of one of the outbuildings which was full of hay. A ploughed paddock had halted its advance. The fire was also contained on the property of Mr D. Cameron, of Nicolls road, only a short distance from the Halswell Junction hotel. Two paddocks of grass amounting to 12 acres were burnt on this property. The owners and occupiers of all the properties in the path of the fire were warm in their praise for the tire-fighters, who included boy scouts, a party of 50 railway men who had been unloading sleepers at Middleton, a Paparua County Council fire fighting unit and men under the fire officer, Mr R. J. Cooke, men and equipment from the Royal New Zealand Air Force Station at Wigram, two units of the Christchurch Fire Brigade, Forest Service staff, members of the Halswell County Council, including the chairman, Mr James Mackenzie, and employees of the council and numerous farmers and volunteers. Some of them brought their own fire-fighting equipment, including lorry-borne tanks.