Fire near New Brighton contained

30th December 7.10PM

Canterbury Police staff are being stood down after members of the New Zealand Fire Service contain the fire near New Brighton.

Superintendent Lane Todd says the majority of the cordons have been taken down and those people who were evacuated as a precaution are now back in their homes.

Fire Service Assistant Area Commander for Christchurch Metro, Greg Crawford, explains that there were 12-13 appliances and 65 career and volunteer fire fighters from the surrounding area at the peak of the fire plus specialist vehicles including the command unit, water tanker and smoke chaser.

"The fire affected an extensive area on the foreshore and threatened a number of homes. Our current focus is on extinguishing the remaining hotspots to make the area safe while we still have daylight.

Investigations into the cause of the fire will be ongoing and a Fire Investigator is expected on site tomorrow."

Assistant Area Commander Crawford urges everyone to be vigilant as Canterbury is experiencing tinder dry conditions at the moment, both in the city and in rural areas.

Early reporting makes all the difference so if you see smoke or suspicious activity report it straight away by calling 111.

Starting tomorrow (1 December 2015) a total fire ban will come into effect in the Christchurch City Council area which includes Banks Peninsula and Akaroa.

Canterbury Police and the Fire Service would like to thank the community in New Brighton for their patience while this fire was brought under control.

ENDS

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