Good save at Newlands fire

By Frank Neill

Fire ghters saved a number o Newlands homes rom becoming involved in a re that broke out on 11 February.

The blae began behind the Kiwi Sel Storage units at 2 Newlands Road and uickly sread u the hillside.

The Fire Brigade was called at 12m and an aliance rom the Johnsonville Fire Station was rst on the scene.

e were on the scene uite uickly, worked eiciently and got water on the re uickly, says Brendon ood, the Thorndon Fire Brigade’s senior station ocer. n 11 February Mr ood was acting as the Johnsonville Fire Brigade’s senior station ocer.

Fire ighters had to work eiciently as the ire was travelling really raidly u the stee gradient, through etremely dry light grass, gorse and scrub.

uckily, Mr ood says, it wasn’t a windy day.

ter burning through the gorse and scrub, the ire reached a stand o ines and had begun to ignite these by the time re ghters had the blae under control, about an hour ater arriving on the scene. Had the ames got into the ine trees, houses above them would have been at risk, Mr ood says. t was a good save. ll the crews involved worked very eciently and did an etremely good ob under adverse conditions. ter getting the re under control in around an hour, reghters sent another two and a hal hours moing u including ensuring there were no remaining hot sots that would allow the re to get away again.

Si urban re engines, seven rural ire engines and one aerial aliance a re engine with a 100-oot ladder ed to its roo resonded to the re.

The ire burnt through around nine hectares o the cli ace.

The Fire Brigade had not yet established the cause o the re, and determination o its cause was ongoing, Mr ood told the ndeendent Herald on 1 February.