Christchurch fire under control

NEW ZEALAND – Firefighters in New Zealand’s second-largest city have halted a wildfire after it burned down 11 houses in the outer suburbs and forced more than 1000 people to evacuate.

John Mackie, the civil defence controller for Christchurch, said about 130 firefighters on the ground assisted by more than a dozen helicopters had stopped the fire from encroaching further into the city.

The plan was to let it burn itself out, he said, and that a forecast of rain over the weekend would help. He said the fire was spread over about 2000 hectares in Christchurch’s Port Hills.

The cause of the fire remained unknown and was being investigated, authorities said. Christchurch city and the adjacent Selwyn district were declared a state of emergency.

The blaze started as two separate fires on Monday and was fanned by a wind change and merged into one blaze by Wednesday night.

It has already claimed the life of helicopter pilot Steve Askin, who crashed while fighting the fire on Tuesday.

On Thursday morning, Christchurch civil defence said a temperature drop and rise in humidity had improved conditions.

“At this point in time the fire’s not threatening any other properties ... but we’ll just have to see how the day and the fire develops,”Civil Defence controller Dave Adamson told Radio New Zealand.

Around 120 firefighters and support crew have been involved in ground operations since the fire broke out on Monday night. About 85 New Zealand defence force personnel are also helping with efforts to fight the blaze.

-PNC