Fire fanned by southerly

Press, 9 March 1988, Page 1

Fire fanned by southerly

RODGER KINGSBURY

A fire which started in the Havelock rubbish dump early yesterday morning and spread rapidly on a number of fronts after entering the adjoining Mahakipawa Scenic Reserve was still burning uncontrolled late last evening. Most of the 500 ha of regenerating native bush was destroyed. The blaze, the first big rural fire in Marlborough this season, was fanned from early in the day by strong southerly winds, at the tail - of Cyclone Bo'la.

A lull in the wind for a short time gave some hope that the blaze could be controlled with monsoon buckets carried by two helicopters from Nelson, but fresh gusts opened the fire up on new fronts.

The helicopters continued dumping hundreds of tonnes of sea water from Mahakipawa Arm on to the flames long after darkness had fallen.

Fire engines from Havelock, Renwick, and Blenheim, units from the Conservation Department in Picton and Havelock and tankers provided by Timberlands, Gill Construction, and the Marlborough Catchment Board lined Queen Charlotte Drive to fight the fire on the only accessible front.

In spite of their efforts the flames jumped the road in several places and entered the Cullen Point Scenic Reserve. The road between Havelock and Linkwater was closed.

Telephone communication was cut when fire burnt through roadside cables. Residents of the Moenui settlement on the opposite side of Queen Charlotte Drive from the reserve watched the advancing wall of flame with anxiety and were prepared to be moved out by the police if there was a possibility of the fire’s jumping the road.

The settlement comprises 46 houses, 17 of them owned by permanent residents.

Isolated outbreaks near the roadside were quickly dealt with by mobile patrols and provided a better assurance against a sweeping blaze on a broader front later.

Constable Tony Duncan, of Havelock, said last evening it was fortunate that Moenui had been the scene of a fire-fighting exercise last Thursday night when the sources of water had been checked and the fire plan for the settlement reviewed. Fire-fighters, some of whom had been at the scene since before 9 a.m. yesterday, were expected to be patrolling Queen Charlotte Drive this morning.