Tasman fire: Perimeter of blaze expands as night falls on day three

February 7, 2019

The blaze about 30km from central Nelson is the size of Auckland’s CBD.

That concludes 1 NEWS NOW's live updates of the fire in Tasman today, February 7. Read below for happened.

Click here for this morning's live updates

Have you been affected by the fire, or do you have imagery you'd like to share? You can contact us through our Facebook page here, email news@tvnz.co.nz, or use our story submission feature at the bottom of the 1 NEWS homepage.

8:18pm -  Civil Defence say that 195 properties remain evacuated with people living in the 12 properties on Malling Road allowed back into their homes.

8:15pm -  At 4pm the cordon was removed at Malling Road, which had been evacuated as a precaution but was not affected by the fire.

"Residents in some affected areas were permitted temporary access to some properties this evening, with support from Police and Fire and Emergency New Zealand," Emergency Management Group Controller Rob Smith said.

Depending on progress with the fire and weather conditions tomorrow, it may be possible to access other areas. Residents will be directly contacted if this is possible. 

In addition, hard cordons are now in place and the following roads are closed"

  • Pigeon Valley Road at the fire station to the last driveway before the seal in Dovedale (approx. 381 Dovedale Road).
  • Moutere Highway from Redwood Rd to Waimea West Road intersection
  • Eves Valley Road
  • Teapot Valley Road
  • Golden Hills Road at Moutere Highway intersection
  • Golden Hills Road at Challies Road intersection
  • The intersection of Redwood Valley Road and Redwood Valley Lane
  • Green Acres Road
  • Barton Lane / Simmonds Road / Arnold Lane
  • 8:10pm -  Civil Defence have given another update heading into the night:

    The perimeter of the Pigeon Valley fire has expanded but crews are determining the exact extent of this with 44 firefighters to actively attack the fire overnight.

    Fire breaks will also be created on the perimeter using five bulldozers, four excavators, and three tankers to suppress any active fire within 10 to 30 metres of the perimeter from spreading.

    An additional three crews and heavy machinery will arrive tomorrow to assist.

    7:35pm -  1 NEWS reporter Lisa Davis has spoken with some of the people who were among the hundreds evacuated from their Tasman homes who gathered today facing uncertainty and frustration. To read more about the story click here .

    Hundreds are still unsure when they’ll be able to return home.

    6:40pm -  A Fire and Emergency spokesperson has told 1 NEWS reporter Kaitlin Ruddock the evacuation of the west side of Teapot Valley will allow residents plenty of time to pack and leave their homes.

    Despite the winds increasing, fire crews are confident that they’ve set up defensive lines around the perimeter ahead of tomorrow, when winds are forecast to get stronger.

    Some people have been forced to leave their homes evacuated due to the fire near Wakefield.

    5:50pm -  Aerial shots from earlier today  show the scale of the blaze and also just how close flames got to a number of homes .

    Aerial footage shows the the scope of the Pigeon Valley blaze.

    5:30pm -  A second rotation of New Zealand firefighters have been deployed to Tasmania to combat bushfires there. 

    Fire and Emergency New Zealand said in a statement that they're confident they have the resources to fight the blaze in Nelson and even another large-scale fire elsewhere.

    5:20pm -  A Fire and Emergency spokesperson told 1 NEWS the increased intensity of the blaze is due to less humidity and stronger winds in the area but the perimeter of the fire remains the same at this stage.

    5:05pm -  Further evacuations are underway in the west side of Teapot Valley with approximately 25 properties affected.

    Civil Defence say this is a precautionary measure because of the increased fire intensity this afternoon.

    All residents who have evacuated or self-evacuated are asked to register with the Civil Defence Centre at St John’s Church, Wakefield to remain open until 8pm.

    Residents are advised to take animals with them. Some stock can be accommodated at the Richmond Showgrounds.

    Horses, sheep and goats can be accommodated in empty stables – use the Campground Gate to the Showgrounds and follow the road to the stable blocks. Please leave your name and contact number on the stable door and provide food for your animals. There is water available on site.

    5:00pm -  Grant Pearce, a fire scientist from the Scion Rural Fire Research Group, has made comment on the fires courtesy of the Science Media Centre. 

    "The very hot, dry and windy weather over the past month has had a major effect on the drying of forest fuels in particular, including slash and prunings, understorey scrub vegetation, pine needle litter on the ground and organic material in the soil, which all contribute to the amount of vegetation fuel available to burn. These dry, elevated fuel loads contribute to easy fire ignition and spread, and to high fire intensities including crown fires that are very difficult, if not impossible to control, especially in steeper terrain often favoured for forestry plantings. Surrounding grass fuels are also dry, but the lower fuel loads mean that fires are usually easier to control once they spread out into these grass areas.

    "Modelling of potential future changes in fire danger indicates that the number of severe fire weather days is likely to increase in many parts of the country. This includes the Nelson region, where the number of days of very high and extreme forest fire danger could increase to more like 12-13 days per year on average, and maybe 20-25 days in the worst years, with climate change."

    4:15pm -  Earlier, John Sutton from fire and emergency told evacuated residents that today was crucial with a forecast for tomorrow that is not good.  Read more here. 

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