Park staff dampen hot spots after fire

Press, 4 January 1988, Page 5

Park staff dampen hot spots after fire

Staff at Arthur’s Pass National Park were dampening hot spots yesterday after fire burnt 3ha of remote parkland on Saturday. The fire, at Hallelujah Flat (about two and half hours walk from the Andrews Stream shelter) was brought under control by staff late on Saturday evening after burning through tussock grass and threatening beech forest. The conservation officer, Mr Mike Harding, said that at its peak the fire had spread 10m into the forest on a 50m front. “Our main problem was

the dead standing trees and fallen logs — it is very difficult to tell if it is completely out,” he said. The fire, which was believed to have started from a trampers’ fire about midday on Saturday was not spotted by a staff member until 5 p.m. A helicopter was used to drop people in to assess the size of the fire and other staff walked to the scene.

Mr Harding said more staff went to the scene of the fire at 6 a.m. yesterday and worked until 2 p.m. dampening down hot spots and clearing a break in the forest.

A fire, which had been used by trampers was still warm when it was found near the fire and was believed to have been the probable cause of the blaze, Mr Harding said. “It had been a very expensive excercise and we just wish the people using the park would realise the seriousness of situations like this,” he said.

Mr Harding would go back to the fire scene today to check that there were no further hot spots.

“Our main concern is that the wind will pick up, catch an ember and set it off again,” he said.