FIRE IN PINE PLANTATION

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28840, 10 March 1959, Page 14

FIRE IN PINE PLANTATION

Five-Hour Fight At Ashburtoin Fire yesterday destroyed all but a small section of a plantation of about 30 acres of eight-year-old pinus trees owned by the Ashburton Borough Council. The plantation was situated between the Ashburton cemetery and the Canterbury Malting Company’s store, which was formerly the Ashburton glassworks. The Ashburton Volunteer Fire Brigade, with two fire engines, and the staff of the Ashburton County Council with another firefighting unit, fought hard for five hours under very difficult conditions to quell the outbreak, but it burnt through the plantation before it could be halted. With a strong north-west wind the flames burnt quickly through thick, dry grass and gorse at the foot of the trees and leapt 25 feet into the air. At one tage three members of the Ashburton brigade and another volunteer firefighter eut a track through the plantation, hosing the trees and undergrowth as they went. When it seemed that this would check the fire, flames leapt along the top of a gorse fence cutting off their retreat. they escaped through the burnt area and had to abandon 200 feet of hose, which was burnt in the fire. Operating a large bulldozer from Burnetts Motors, Ltd., Mr B. Twamley cut a fire break around a large stack containing about 300 cords of firewood owned by Mr J. S. McElhinney (Ashburton). The flames, rising to 15 feet, were within a few feet of the wood at the time. In all, Mr McElhinney had 500 cords of . wood stacked at the edge of, the plantation, but all was saved.

The fire also burnt up to the boundary of the Canterbury Malting Company and was separated from a large stack containing thousands of sacks of barley by 16 yards of shingle drive. The company’s fire-fighting hose was used to protect its property.