FOREST FIRE

Greymouth Evening Star, 15 February 1947, Page 3

FOREST FIRE

LAST-MINUTE REPRIEVE RAIN PREVENTED SEVERE LOSS GRIM. STRUGGLE BY FIGHTERS Although this week’s forest fire in the Kotuku-Bell Hill area was probably the worst on the West Coast for some years, it was potentially a major disaster, threatening an area of virgin bush held by the New Forest Sawmilling Company which is expected to produce three years’ cutting. Fortunately, the fire fighters were able to “pinch out” the fire on every occasion when it directly threatened standing timber, and, although between 150 and 200 acres of cut-over bush have been devastated, there has been no loss of valuable timber.

It was revealed yesterday by the Conservator of State Forests at Hokitika, Mr. R. B. Collett, that the sudden change in the weather came just when the situation looked really black. The fire-fighters, under the direction of Mr. Collett, had had their hopes raised on half a dozen occasions that they had mastered the fire, only to have it break out again with renewed vigour with wind variations. On Thursday a gusty wind, blowing at different times from all points of the compass, made the task of controlling the fire almost hopeless. Live sparks carried by the wind were repeatedly starting incipient fires up to two and a-half chains distant and with even the moss on the ground dry enough to. burn, the fire-fighters were hard put to it even to keep accurate estimates of the danger zones. Towards Virgin Bush.

During the afternoon, the fire began to race away, over the tramline of Messrs Jack Brothers sawmill, towards the north and the New Forest company’s big area of virgin bush. Over 60 men were concentrated to meet this new threat and they fought against odds until early evening, when the appearance of clouds raised hopes that natui-e would come to their aid. Among the weary, blackened and wet fire-fighters speculation was rife as to whether the clouds portended rain, which would end their struggle, or whether they meant merely wind, which would make their task practically hopeless.

At 9.45 p.m., with the fighters still attempting to beat back the flames, the first rain, in the form of heavy mist, began to fall. Half an hour later the mist had turned to heavy rain and by 11.30 p.m. it was realised that the real danger was over and the men, who had been fighting the,fire with brief rest periods since Tuesday were able to return to their homes.

In an interview with an Evening Star representative, on his return to Hokitika yesterday afternoon, Mr. Collett paid a tribute to the work of the volunteer fire-fighters _ who did everything possible to minimise the effects of the fire. He said that the staff of the New Forest company was on the job the whole time. They were joined by Messrs Jack Bros staff, and other workers from the same district. On Thursday, when things looked really bad, other helpers were.called upon, including the men from the Kopara sawmill and the whole party worked splendidly, in' co-operation with the State Forest staff from Totara Flat, Hokitika and other parts of the district. On the south side of the burnt area, said Mr. Collett, still in cut-over bush,- there were piles of rimu tops which flared up like a shovel of coal being thrown into a furnace as they were ignited and it was impossible at times for the fighters to get closei than 10 or 12 feet. Nothing mord could be done than to look for a comparatively clear path and prepare to make a stand against the advancing flames. The fire-fighters worked in two shifts —from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. each night and from before 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. The inky blackness in the bush, coupled with the cold (the fighters invariably got wet) caused the break in the efforts in the early hours of the morning. It was found that the fires invariably died down and could be controlled in the evening, but a few hours after sunrise in the morning they broke out with renewed vigour. Further Precautions Although the volunteer fire-fighters were withdrawn on Thursday night, all the State Forest employees from Totara Flat and the department’s rangers, assembled from all over the district, remained on duty yesterday, with instructions to fell all of the trees still smouldering, and out of reach of the pumps available. This is a precaution against sparks from the tree trunks being responsible for a recurrence of the fire. On Thursday, the State Forest fire engines from Totara Flat and Hokitika were taken to Bell Hill and four 400-gallon tanks were obtained. The engines were used to fill the tanks which were conveyed on the bush tramline to where they could be readily used to fill the stirrup pumps with which many of the fire-fighters were equipped. The pumps were invaluable, throwing a jet 30 feet or, alternatively, a spray but the men found one drawback —the connection to the tanks on their backs invariably leaked, with the result that they had to work in wet clothes.' Despite this, every man kept active throughout long spells in the bush. On one occasion, on the southern side, 20 men (15 with pumps and five others as water carriers) kept up a constant attack against a threatened break through. No official statement has been made regarding the cause of the fire, but it is believed that it originated in dry cut-over bush on Monday. It had a strong hold when the fire-fighting efforts were started in earnest.