We need to get fire smart in the future. David Stone told RNZ that the small village has around 50 houses, many of which he says were set on fire, including his own. A fire which ravaged the town of Lake Ohau has burned 5000 hectares in the scenic tourist region. About 100 firefighters have been on the ground battling the fire at Lake Ohau today while helicopters have stayed grounded due strong winds. He said it was hoped residents would get to the village at some stage on Monday to assess the damage to their properties. They had camped at Round Hill, about 5km across the lake and north of the township, but got little sleep because of high winds, gusting more than 100km/h. Eleven helicopters were at the scene yesterday afternoon, along with seven fire crews. The fire roared through Lake Ohau village in the Mackenzie Country in the early hours of Sunday morning, spreading into nearby conservation land, farms and mountainsides. As well as the fire crews and helicopters, two diggers and a grader were working to create firebreaks to help safeguard critical infrastructure. Fire crews have had a busy night working to protect homes at Lake Ōhau village, as well as a tree plantation, as flare-ups continue to risk further damage to the area. Watch the media briefing from the two Ministers. Video. Fire fighting has continued at Lake Ohau today in challenging conditions, with strong winds and warm temperatures. Photo credit/ Newshub. "It is a terrible tragedy. Fire and Emergency are currently responding to a fire along Hurunui Mouth Rd. Fire fighting has continued at Lake Ohau today in challenging conditions, with strong winds and warm temperatures. A drone equipped with an infrared camera would be deployed tonight to look for hotspots along the perimeter of the fire. Civil Defence controller Peter Muldrew said there are no boundaries in an emergency and the Waitaki EOC is working together with multiple agencies to support those affected. By early afternoon today Jones told a media briefing that while the fire was controlled and there was a good perimeter around it, the winds were variable so they were being cautious. Firefighting teams were battling to stop the blaze from damaging critical infrastructure, including the main power lines servicing Queenstown and Wanaka. Support was being provided for evacuated residents, who were jolted awake shortly after 3am by an evacuation siren sounding, Still said. About 90 people were forced to sleep away from their homes overnight after at least 20 houses were damaged or destroyed by the fire. "The fire has now pushed around and is climbing into the high country and it makes for pretty spectacular viewing for the night, but as the daylight has dawned we've seen obviously specific areas that we need to target, we have to have helicopter access into them.". David Stone was left with just the clothes he was wearing after his Huxley Tce home was destroyed. "We couldn't get out our normal way, we had to cross country through a fire break.". "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.". In the next 20 years, he said New Zealand will see an increase … Crews used a drone at 2am and found a significant number of hotspots, which will be targeted as helicopters and ground crews begin work in the daylight. Lake Ohau fire continues to burn - photo credit: Mandy Heslop. "The outpouring of support from the nation has been really humbling and something that I'm also thankful of - the messages from other mayors, members of the public that we've had, and the real sympathy and empathy that people are showing is a true testament to New Zealanders everywhere. Fire and Emergency's Incident Commander Steve Jones said two crews were protecting the remaining homes in Lake Ohau Village and the other two were working in the Quailburn area. "We will restore power to the area as soon as we are sure the network is safe to turn on again and when we get the all clear from fire service," he said. Henare said there's been widespread property damage and loss. "Thank you to everyone who has supported us in this way.". Sixteen crews, including a command team from Dunedin, fought to bring that blaze under control. Fire and Emergency Incident Controller Rob Hands said that the task was progressing well. Civil Defence scrambled to supply basic essentials for the 112 registered with the evacuation centre in Twizel, while offers of accommodation flooded in from locals. A major forest fire ripping through the Mackenzie Basin resulted in … A helicopter delivers another load of water to fight the Lake Ohau fire. Credit: AAP The Urban Search and Rescue team used a drone at 2am to identify a "significant number of hotspots", which will be targeted when the helicopters and ground crews begin work at daylight. Network Waitaki said the fire is utterly devastating for the Ōhau locals who have lost their homes and our hearts go out to them. Fire and Emergency's incident commander, Steve Jones, said this morning that two of the crews were protecting remaining homes in Lake Ohau Village and the other two were working in the Quailburn area. The blaze began in a mountain forest early Sunday morning and, fanned by strong winds, swept through the village of Lake Ohau, forcing residents to flee for their lives.. Fire … Fire and Emergency's Incident Commander Steve Jones said two crews were protecting the remaining homes in Lake Ōhau Village and the other two were working in the Quailburn area. Some good work had been done around saving some properties, and that work was continuing, he said. It was coming at us pretty fast, and we had a house full of kids," she told Stuff. Still said the high winds meant it was unsafe for residents to return to their homes yesterday. We currently have 7 fire appliances and 4 tankers in attendance. He said the wind was benign heading into Sunday evening but picked up again overnight. Jones told Morning Report that fire crews had managed to stop the loss of more infrastructure overnight. Graeme Still, who is a national wildfire specialist, said the 2017 Port Hills fire, the 2019 Nelson fires and, most recently, the fire in Lake Ōhau have been a catalyst for communities to take more precautions and practise fire safety more widely. It has 16 crews fighting it with five helicopters in the air and one more to join shortly. Contained means the perimeter of the fire is confined to an area and not spreading Controlled means we have a cold zone around the fire. Crews used a drone at 2am and found a significant number of hotspots, which will be targeted as helicopters and ground crews begin work in the daylight. "But we're out and we've got no injuries.". Your playlist will load after this ad. Authorities say a fire which ravaged the popular tourist location of Lake Ohau has largely been contained despite forecast high winds threatening a further outbreak. "There's just structures totalled to the ground. He had to get up to rope down the caravan to prevent it being blown over by the "very strong northwesterlies". Audio. Managing human activity was the key. We currently have 7 fire appliances and 4 tankers in attendance. Photo: RNZ / Tess Brunton. Lake Ohau Fire With the on-going challenges that New Zealand has faced this year, the Lake Ohau community have been hit with a devastating blow. About 100 firefighters have been on the ground battling the fire at Lake Ohau today while helicopters have stayed grounded due strong winds. A helicopter attempts to put out the flames of a large fire in Ohau Village. "I've got to be honest, it's not looking good," he said. FIRE - HURUNUI MOUTH RD, DOMETT. The fire that ripped through the Lake Ohau village has destroyed 46 houses, and burnt out more than 5000ha of land, reports Stuff. Aerial footage shows several streets of homes at Lake Ohau Village in the Mackenzie Country have been destroyed by the fire, which is understood to have been sparked by an electrical arc from power lines. There's a more detailed assessment that has to be done but that lifts that number up," Fire and Emergency's Mike Grant told Breakfast. Janet Brown only had time to grab her kids and flee after hearing an alarm going off. About 90 people were forced to sleep away from their homes overnight after at least 20 houses were damaged or destroyed by the fire. Eleven helicopters and nine ground crews will be attacking the fire today, with four crews continuing structure protection work. The fire is thought to have been started by an electrical arc from overhead power lines. David Stone told RNZ the small village has about 50 houses, many of which he believes have been burnt down, including his own. Photo: RNZ / Tess Brunton. The government has earmarked $100,000 to help the relief efforts in the wake of the fire. He said there was minor damage to transmission lines but they are feed lines rather than the main power lines. Three houses nearby were evacuated. The fire was still burning beyond the Lake Ohau village on Sunday afternoon. Police say Lake Ohau Road, off State Highway 8 in the Waitaki district, is currently closed because of the fire. Both ministers thanked the local councils, Fire and Emergency, DOC, helicopter pilots and the volunteers for their work supporting the local community. This is a lovely wee spot. Meanwhile back in Ohau, Dunedin resident Andy Winneke saw the "dramatic" fire when he woke about 4am from where he was camping with his family across from Lake Ohau. It is expected a 50 metre containment line will be in place for 95% of the perimeter by 6pm this evening. Quite a bit of it is razed.". During the night, he'd also seen several large water spouts, up to 50m high, whipped up by the winds and moving south down the lake. … It's had a huge impact on the community in Ohau and our thoughts are with them.". Fire and Emergency are currently responding to a fire along Hurunui Mouth Rd. She said nature doesn't start fires except via occasional lightening strikes. ", She said the government was making a huge effort on controlling wilding pines, committing $100 million over four years. The blaze was one of four large fires across the country, three of which were in the South Island. Many residents were last night being put up in motels and some people who own holiday homes were likely still unaware if their property was one of the few to survive the devastation. … A Lake Ōhau Bed and Breakfast owner says he has lost his home, business and loving memories in the fire that has torn through his small Canterbury community. Strong winds were also making it difficult to fight the blaze. It has 16 crews fighting it with five helicopters in the air and one more to join soon. About 90 people were forced to sleep away from their homes overnight after up to 50 homes were destroyed by the fire. Eleven helicopters and seven ground crews are battling a fire at Lake Ohau, Canterbury. Fellow farmer Grant Murray, who borders the DOC land on Quailburn Road, said the fire was an inevitability. "People are very uncertain, they don't know which of their properties has been compromised, it's quite sad.". The Department of Conservation has been accused of mismanging and neglecting land at Lake Ohau, where fires have been raging. And it looks like other communities may be following suit. Federated Farmers High Country Committee chairman Rob Stokes said he had been warning the government about this danger for 12 years. "With the land that's been shut up on our boundary, it was always going to happen sooner or later, once the fire got in there it was really going to take hold. "I am very mindful of how upsetting it is for the residents. "When we were getting sheep out by Lake Ōhau we were right in the smoke, in the flames ... we were going through paddocks that were good when we went one way and when we turned around the other they had already burned through, so it was all go.". Fire and Emergency's incident commander, Steve Jones, said this morning that two of the crews were protecting remaining homes in Lake Ohau Village and the other two were working in the Quailburn area. He said the Lake Ohau village looked "like a war zone". Radio NZ reports 50 homes - mainly used as holiday homes - were destroyed or rendered uninhabitable in the blaze. The fire roared through Lake Ohau village in the Mackenzie Country in the early hours of Sunday morning, spreading into nearby conservation land, farms and mountainsides. Lake Ohau, Waitaki fire: At least 20 homes destroyed in South Island blaze, residents evacuated... Lake Ohau blaze: No respite from the weather until Tuesday - MetService - NZ Herald. The fire has spread into the hills surrounding Lake Ohau, up near the snowline. Two crews have been protecting the village, and two crews protecting a high country lodge south of the village. The fire roared through Lake Ohau village in the Mackenzie Country in the early hours of Sunday morning, spreading into nearby conservation land, farms and mountainsides. A fire which ravaged the town of Lake Ohau has burned 5000 hectares in the scenic tourist region. The fire, which Fire and Emergency NZ was alerted to in the early hours of Saturday morning, is burning over approximately 1600 hectares. The remaining 5% is in an area of steep terrain and currently has a 10 metre line in place. Three weeks ago their lives were completely turned upside down and our hearts go out to all those who have been impacted by the fire. Jones said the fire was approximately 4800 hectares in size and that it was contained. The access would be available between 10am and 2pm provided conditions are … The flames were big and smokey, thick with heat; there was no time to even take a photo," Spiers said. About 200 affected people gathered at an evacuation centre in Twizel. The fire that ripped through the Lake Ohau village has destroyed 46 houses, and burnt out more than 5000ha of land, reports Stuff. Kircher said "around half" of the houses have been damaged or destroyed. Their safety is our main concern at this time.". "We can confirm that between 40 and 50 structures are unihabitable, pretty much destroyed... and about 40 that are as good as gold. Another affected resident, who didn't want to be named, said his family were "shattered" and staying in a motel last night, keen to get much-needed rest. The fire roared through Lake Ōhau village in the Mackenzie Country in the early hours of Sunday morning, spreading into nearby conservation land, farms and mountainsides. Think of the fire like a horse Contained - the horse is in a paddock that can potentially jump the fence Controlled - the horse is tied up to the railing "Luckily we were catching a flight today so we had our bags packed and we just jumped in the cars and left the house.". Far North firefighters also battled a fire that burned more than 10ha near Ahipara from midday. Fire and Emergency says the 200-hectare fire is burning through pine forest and grass near Lake Ohau. UPDATE 1.30PM - FIRE AT LAKE OHAU 2/3 As at midday the fire had burnt 4600ha, of which 1900 is conservation estate. 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