A fire that began in the early hours of Sunday morning in Lake Ohau, Mackenzie Country has destroyed most of the homes in the village, the mayor reports.
About 90 people were evacuated out of their homes on Sunday, which spread into conservation land, farms, mountains as well as the small village of Lake Ohau.
At least 300 sheep have been killed and 4800 hectares have been destroyed as firefighters continue to battle the blaze.
Waitaki District Mayor Gary Kircher said that while they have yet to confirm how many houses have been affected, he believes out of the 60-70 homes, the “majority” were gone.
Kircher said residents are lucky to have escaped the blaze.
“The reality is it’s a minor miracle that no-one has been harmed, if it had been another 15-20 minutes it would have been a very different story.”
Fire and Emergency have deployed 11 helicopters and nine crews on the ground to try and stop the blaze.
Heavy winds have made it difficult for the firefighters to control the blaze, says Fire and Emergency’s Incident Commander Steve Jones.
http://blockquote%20class=instagram-media%20data-instgrm-captioned%20data-instgrm-permalink=https://www.instagram.com/p/CF59DC5sDj2/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading%20data-instgrm-version=12%20style=%20background:#FFF;%20border:0;%20border-radius:3px;%20box-shadow:0%200%201px%200%20rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0%201px%2010px%200%20rgba(0,0,0,0.15);%20margin:%201px;%20max-width:540px;%20min-width:326px;%20padding:0;%20width:99.375%;%20width:-webkit-calc(100%%20-%202px);%20width:calc(100%%20-%202px);div%20style=padding:16px;%20a%20href=https://www.instagram.com/p/CF59DC5sDj2/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading%20style=%20background:#FFFFFF;%20line-height:0;%20padding:0%200;%20text-align:center;%20text-decoration:none;%20width:100%;%20target=_blank%20div%20style=%20display:%20flex;%20flex-direction:%20row;%20align-items:%20center;%20div%20style=background-color:%20#F4F4F4;%20border-radius:%2050%;%20flex-grow:%200;%20height:%2040px;%20margin-right:%2014px;%20width:%2040px;/div%20div%20style=display:%20flex;%20flex-direction:%20column;%20flex-grow:%201;%20justify-content:%20center;%20div%20style=%20background-color:%20#F4F4F4;%20border-radius:%204px;%20flex-grow:%200;%20height:%2014px;%20margin-bottom:%206px;%20width:%20100px;/div%20div%20style=%20background-color:%20#F4F4F4;%20border-radius:%204px;%20flex-grow:%200;%20height:%2014px;%20width:%2060px;/div/div/divdiv%20style=padding:%2019%%200;/div%20div%20style=display:block;%20height:50px;%20margin:0%20auto%2012px;%20width:50px;svg%20width=50px%20height=50px%20viewBox=0%200%2060%2060%20version=1.1%20xmlns=https://www.w3.org/2000/svg%20xmlns:xlink=https://www.w3.org/1999/xlinkg%20stroke=none%20stroke-width=1%20fill=none%20fill-rule=evenoddg%20transform=translate(-511.000000,%20-20.000000)%20fill=#000000gpath%20d=M556.869,30.41%20C554.814,30.41%20553.148,32.076%20553.148,34.131%20C553.148,36.186%20554.814,37.852%20556.869,37.852%20C558.924,37.852%20560.59,36.186%20560.59,34.131%20C560.59,32.076%20558.924,30.41%20556.869,30.41%20M541,60.657%20C535.114,60.657%20530.342,55.887%20530.342,50%20C530.342,44.114%20535.114,39.342%20541,39.342%20C546.887,39.342%20551.658,44.114%20551.658,50%20C551.658,55.887%20546.887,60.657%20541,60.657%20M541,33.886%20C532.1,33.886%20524.886,41.1%20524.886,50%20C524.886,58.899%20532.1,66.113%20541,66.113%20C549.9,66.113%20557.115,58.899%20557.115,50%20C557.115,41.1%20549.9,33.886%20541,33.886%20M565.378,62.101%20C565.244,65.022%20564.756,66.606%20564.346,67.663%20C563.803,69.06%20563.154,70.057%20562.106,71.106%20C561.058,72.155%20560.06,72.803%20558.662,73.347%20C557.607,73.757%20556.021,74.244%20553.102,74.378%20C549.944,74.521%20548.997,74.552%20541,74.552%20C533.003,74.552%20532.056,74.521%20528.898,74.378%20C525.979,74.244%20524.393,73.757%20523.338,73.347%20C521.94,72.803%20520.942,72.155%20519.894,71.106%20C518.846,70.057%20518.197,69.06%20517.654,67.663%20C517.244,66.606%20516.755,65.022%20516.623,62.101%20C516.479,58.943%20516.448,57.996%20516.448,50%20C516.448,42.003%20516.479,41.056%20516.623,37.899%20C516.755,34.978%20517.244,33.391%20517.654,32.338%20C518.197,30.938%20518.846,29.942%20519.894,28.894%20C520.942,27.846%20521.94,27.196%20523.338,26.654%20C524.393,26.244%20525.979,25.756%20528.898,25.623%20C532.057,25.479%20533.004,25.448%20541,25.448%20C548.997,25.448%20549.943,25.479%20553.102,25.623%20C556.021,25.756%20557.607,26.244%20558.662,26.654%20C560.06,27.196%20561.058,27.846%20562.106,28.894%20C563.154,29.942%20563.803,30.938%20564.346,32.338%20C564.756,33.391%20565.244,34.978%20565.378,37.899%20C565.522,41.056%20565.552,42.003%20565.552,50%20C565.552,57.996%20565.522,58.943%20565.378,62.101%20M570.82,37.631%20C570.674,34.438%20570.167,32.258%20569.425,30.349%20C568.659,28.377%20567.633,26.702%20565.965,25.035%20C564.297,23.368%20562.623,22.342%20560.652,21.575%20C558.743,20.834%20556.562,20.326%20553.369,20.18%20C550.169,20.033%20549.148,20%20541,20%20C532.853,20%20531.831,20.033%20528.631,20.18%20C525.438,20.326%20523.257,20.834%20521.349,21.575%20C519.376,22.342%20517.703,23.368%20516.035,25.035%20C514.368,26.702%20513.342,28.377%20512.574,30.349%20C511.834,32.258%20511.326,34.438%20511.181,37.631%20C511.035,40.831%20511,41.851%20511,50%20C511,58.147%20511.035,59.17%20511.181,62.369%20C511.326,65.562%20511.834,67.743%20512.574,69.651%20C513.342,71.625%20514.368,73.296%20516.035,74.965%20C517.703,76.634%20519.376,77.658%20521.349,78.425%20C523.257,79.167%20525.438,79.673%20528.631,79.82%20C531.831,79.965%20532.853,80.001%20541,80.001%20C549.148,80.001%20550.169,79.965%20553.369,79.82%20C556.562,79.673%20558.743,79.167%20560.652,78.425%20C562.623,77.658%20564.297,76.634%20565.965,74.965%20C567.633,73.296%20568.659,71.625%20569.425,69.651%20C570.167,67.743%20570.674,65.562%20570.82,62.369%20C570.966,59.17%20571,58.147%20571,50%20C571,41.851%20570.966,40.831%20570.82,37.631/path/g/g/g/svg/divdiv%20style=padding-top:%208px;%20div%20style=%20color:#3897f0;%20font-family:Arial,sans-serif;%20font-size:14px;%20font-style:normal;%20font-weight:550;%20line-height:18px;%20View%20this%20post%20on%20Instagram/div/divdiv%20style=padding:%2012.5%%200;/div%20div%20style=display:%20flex;%20flex-direction:%20row;%20margin-bottom:%2014px;%20align-items:%20center;div%20div%20style=background-color:%20#F4F4F4;%20border-radius:%2050%;%20height:%2012.5px;%20width:%2012.5px;%20transform:%20translateX(0px)%20translateY(7px);/div%20div%20style=background-color:%20#F4F4F4;%20height:%2012.5px;%20transform:%20rotate(-45deg)%20translateX(3px)%20translateY(1px);%20width:%2012.5px;%20flex-grow:%200;%20margin-right:%2014px;%20margin-left:%202px;/div%20div%20style=background-color:%20#F4F4F4;%20border-radius:%2050%;%20height:%2012.5px;%20width:%2012.5px;%20transform:%20translateX(9px)%20translateY(-18px);/div/divdiv%20style=margin-left:%208px;%20div%20style=%20background-color:%20#F4F4F4;%20border-radius:%2050%;%20flex-grow:%200;%20height:%2020px;%20width:%2020px;/div%20div%20style=%20width:%200;%20height:%200;%20border-top:%202px%20solid%20transparent;%20border-left:%206px%20solid%20#f4f4f4;%20border-bottom:%202px%20solid%20transparent;%20transform:%20translateX(16px)%20translateY(-4px)%20rotate(30deg)/div/divdiv%20style=margin-left:%20auto;%20div%20style=%20width:%200px;%20border-top:%208px%20solid%20#F4F4F4;%20border-right:%208px%20solid%20transparent;%20transform:%20translateY(16px);/div%20div%20style=%20background-color:%20#F4F4F4;%20flex-grow:%200;%20height:%2012px;%20width:%2016px;%20transform:%20translateY(-4px);/div%20div%20style=%20width:%200;%20height:%200;%20border-top:%208px%20solid%20#F4F4F4;%20border-left:%208px%20solid%20transparent;%20transform:%20translateY(-4px)%20translateX(8px);/div/div/div/a%20p%20style=%20margin:8px%200%200%200;%20padding:0%204px;%20a%20href=https://www.instagram.com/p/CF59DC5sDj2/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading%20style=%20color:#000;%20font-family:Arial,sans-serif;%20font-size:14px;%20font-style:normal;%20font-weight:normal;%20line-height:17px;%20text-decoration:none;%20word-wrap:break-word;%20target=_blankThe%20fire%20at%20Lake%20Ohau.%20Approximately%201600%20hectares%20destroyed%20by%20the%20fire%20which%20started%20from%20an%20electrical%20spark%20from%20overhead%20power%20lines.%20Thankfully%20everyone%20in%20the%20alpine%20village%20has%20been%20accounted%20for,%20but%20the%20severe%20winds%20are%20making%20it%20extremely%20difficult%20to%20manage%20the%20blaze.%20Last%20month%20it%20was%20Lake%20Pukaki,%20now%20Lake%20Ohau./a/p%20p%20style=%20color:#c9c8cd;%20font-family:Arial,sans-serif;%20font-size:14px;%20line-height:17px;%20margin-bottom:0;%20margin-top:8px;%20overflow:hidden;%20padding:8px%200%207px;%20text-align:center;%20text-overflow:ellipsis;%20white-space:nowrap;A%20post%20shared%20by%20a%20href=https://www.instagram.com/byroncoll/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading%20style=%20color:#c9c8cd;%20font-family:Arial,sans-serif;%20font-size:14px;%20font-style:normal;%20font-weight:normal;%20line-height:17px;%20target=_blank%20Byron%20Coll/a%20(@byroncoll)%20on%20time%20style=%20font-family:Arial,sans-serif;%20font-size:14px;%20line-height:17px;%20datetime=2020-10-04T02:52:36+00:00Oct%203,%202020%20at%207:52pm%20PDT/time/p/div/blockquote%20script%20async%20src=//www.instagram.com/embed.js/script
“We’re having gusts of wind up to 60 kilometres an hour across the lake, so we had a lot of hot spots and flare ups and ember transfer so we were pretty careful to get onto that as quick as possible,” he told RNZ.
“The weather is not that conducive to good firefighting – obviously high winds, the temperature is going to get up today, humidity will drop … which will make firefighting difficult, especially for those deep seeded embers.”
Jones said that despite the conditions and size of the blaze, they are confident it is contained.
