Deep Stream fire final update

Deep Stream Fire, 1600 hours, Sunday 10 November.

Statement can be attributed to Graeme Still, Incident Controller with Fire and Emergency

The fire in the Deep Stream area in Otago has burned 4664 hectares and is now contained.

About 1100 ha of the land is conservation estate and most of the rest is owned by the Dunedin City Council. A small amount of land, including the Meridian wind farm, is in the Clutha District.

Fire and Emergency Incident Controller Graeme Still said the fire spread very quickly yesterday because of the strong winds and warm temperatures, which made it challenging for the helicopters and ground crews. Winds were gusting up to 100km / hr which made it impossible to put resources in front of the fire front for most of the day.

The weather changed overnight, with 15mm of rain falling from about 1.30am and low cloud persisting most of today.

Mr Still said they had saved one house and prevented damage to the wind farm. One shed was known to have been destroyed. It is not possible to confirm whether any other structures have been damaged until the conditions improve enough to allow aerial inspections to resume.

When conditions improve, ground crews will begin to tackle hotspots which are still smouldering – work which Mr Still said could be prolonged.

A fire investigator is due on site tomorrow to establish the cause of the fire. “We don’t have any information about possible causes at this stage. We’re keeping an open mind,” he said.

ENDS

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