North Canterbury News: January 28, 2021
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NEWS<br />
The <strong>North</strong> <strong>Canterbury</strong> <strong>News</strong>, <strong>January</strong> <strong>28</strong>, <strong>2021</strong><br />
3<br />
Close call ... Monday’s blaze at Pines<br />
Beach burned through 20 hectares of<br />
vegetation. It forced the evacuation of<br />
several homes. Local resident Nikki<br />
Kohalmi watched flames leap over aroad<br />
and into apaddock.<br />
PHOTO:DAYNA BURTON<br />
Blaze quickly took hold<br />
By ROBYN BRISTOW<br />
NikkiKohalmisays this<br />
week’s fire at Pines<br />
Beachshows just how<br />
brutal Mother Nature<br />
can be.<br />
Nikki, who lives<br />
across the road from<br />
wherethe fire started,<br />
watchedflamesleap<br />
over aroad and intoa<br />
paddock.<br />
‘‘They just jumpedthe<br />
road.Itwas scary. Once<br />
the fire was in the<br />
paddock,itwas ‘woof’<br />
and it was off —all the<br />
way to the beach.’’<br />
Nikkiwas alerted to<br />
the fire by afriend who<br />
saw smokeatPines<br />
Beach, and called her as<br />
he travelled along the<br />
motorway.<br />
‘‘I was watching a<br />
movieand could smell<br />
smoke. WhenIwent<br />
outside and looked<br />
aroundour big hedge,<br />
there it (the fire) was,<br />
right there.’’<br />
‘‘It was huge, and<br />
there werepeople<br />
everywhere. Then the<br />
fire enginesarrived,’’<br />
says Nikki,who initially<br />
thoughtahouse overthe<br />
road was on fire.She<br />
later realiseditwas a<br />
shed.<br />
‘‘Icould see the<br />
flamesand ahelicopter<br />
flyingover. Iamso<br />
grateful no houseswere<br />
in the path of the fire.’’<br />
Nikki was evacuated<br />
‘‘pretty quickly’’, and<br />
wasnot allowed home<br />
until 10pmonMonday.<br />
Shewas ‘‘dumbfounded’’<br />
over what to<br />
pack, and nervous about<br />
what she mightfind<br />
when she returned to<br />
her Kain Street house.<br />
‘‘I got the dog and dog<br />
food,mywedding<br />
photos, and afew cans<br />
of L&P. Ididn’t know<br />
what to take or what to<br />
do.<br />
‘‘Mother Nature is<br />
harsh. Iwas toldIhad to<br />
leave, so in the end Ijust<br />
took the dog, Roxy.’’<br />
She warned her<br />
sister, Veronica, who<br />
liveswith her, not to<br />
come home, but when<br />
she got to the park down<br />
the roadshe was there.<br />
The pair lookedonas<br />
helicopters and Fire<br />
and Emergency New<br />
Zealand crews tackled<br />
the blazethat spread<br />
through 20 hectaresof<br />
vegetation.<br />
‘‘Heads up to the<br />
police, the fireservice<br />
andthe Pines Beach<br />
community. Theywere<br />
brilliant, and calm,’’<br />
Nikki says.<br />
By Tuesday morning<br />
thefire had been<br />
contained but not<br />
controlled.<br />
Principal Rural Fire<br />
Officer Bruce Janes said<br />
firefightersdid an<br />
outstandingjob. ‘‘Our<br />
crewsfought very<br />
bravelytosuccessfully<br />
protect houses<br />
threatened by the fire.’’<br />
Crewsremained<br />
overnight, and 30 staff<br />
continued to workto<br />
extinguish the fire and<br />
deal withhotspots on<br />
Tuesday.<br />
A25tonneexcavator<br />
was on site.Two<br />
helicopters and afixed<br />
wing waterbomber<br />
were on standby in case<br />
soaring temperatures<br />
and forecast high winds<br />
eventuated. Crews have<br />
remained on site for the<br />
past few days.<br />
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At risk ... The blaze got perilously close to houses.<br />
PHOTO:NIKKI KOHALMI<br />
Big effort... Eighteen firecrews and four helicopters<br />
were deployed.<br />
PHOTO:DAYNABURTON<br />
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