No stranglehold on Port Hills fire: Civil Defence
Firefighters haven't yet strangled the blaze in Christchurch's Port Hills and say a lot more work is needed as temperatures and winds are predicted to rise.
With hundreds still unable to return to their homes, officials are warning the week-old blaze, which has destroyed 11 houses and scorched more than 2000 hectares, still has the potential to flare up again.
"We've got the fire under control, but we've yet to get a full stranglehold on it," Civil Defence incident controller Richard McNamara said.
Thermal imaging shows hotspots of 300C to 400C.
"We've got some very steep slopes, and fire intensity doubles for every 10 degrees of slope - we're looking at 30 degree slopes, which means the fires are six times the intensity they would be on the flat."
Photos: SNPA
There was more heavy machinery work to do on the 35km perimeter and more fire retardant drops were needed, he said.
Up to 150 firefighters, some from as far away as Invercargill and Palmerston North, will work on the fire in the coming week.
Given the drier conditions forecast, Mr McNamara said they would be monitoring the threat of flare-ups for at least another week.
The MetService is predicting temperatures to rise to the mid to high 20s over the next few days.
Photo: SNPA
Lead firefighting helicopter pilot Alan Beck says burnt out and blackened areas were giving the public something of a false impression.
"People look at everything blackened, with no smoke, and they think it's all over - it's not," Mr Beck said.
"This is one of the most dangerous fires I've worked on in my 45 years of flying."
More than 200 residents from Kennedys Bush Road, Hoon Hay Valley Road and parts of Worsley Road gained temporary access to their properties on Sunday to retrieve pets and valuables and assess damage.
However, Rural Fire liaison officer Darrin Woods said because of residual heat it's unlikely that further restricted access will be allowed on Monday.
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