SMS Incident Report F2452708
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1982
Act
2/9/2018 1:53:11 PM
Reporter Comments
A prohibited Fire Season existed for this area which allowed gas barbeques to be
Information
used but suspension of certain operations that posed a fire risk.
Notice was given under section 56(1)(a) of the Fire and Emergency New Zealand
Act 2017 that a Prohibited Fire Season is declared from 0600, 23 December 2017
covering all areas within the Lakes District...
This effectively made it illegal to light fires including campfires, burn-offs and
bonfires. This excluded:
Enclosed outdoor fire places, pizza ovens utilising a chimney with a building
permit
Official
Solid fuel barbecues with enclosed ash pan
Any gas-fired cooking appliance.
Charred wood pieces, ash and embers gathered from a legal outdoor
the
entertainment fire place had been first emptied into a metal ashcan by the
occupants of a residential home. After a period of time these ashes had in turn
been placed onto open ground near the rear of the property within a formed heap
of cut vegetation, small tree clippings, cones and twigs. A short time later fire was
discovered, ignited the pile of vegetation resulting in visible smoke and flame which
was extinguished by garden hose. The pile remained doused with water from a
under
garden sprinkler overnight. On Wednesday 3rd January additional vegetation was
added to the pile. No sign of smoke was evident.
Fire Service Response:
I was requested to attend and assist with determining cause and origin of the fire. I
arrived at the fire scene at 10:30 AM on Thursday 4 January 2018.
Discovery of fire:
At approximately 2:45PM on 3 January flames were observed spreading across the
Released
grass towards the western boundary fence line with the dry conditions assisting the
rapid spread of fire across the ground through grass and other dry vegetation
before accessing bramble bushes in the neighbouring ground. Attempts to
extinguish this fire with extinguishers and later a garden hose were unsuccessful.
While attempts to extinguish the flames was made another member of the family
alerted emergency services of the fire.
Multiple calls were received reporting this event as smoke was quickly visible
Caution: The information contained in this report is subject to the provisions of the Official Information Act 1982 and the Privacy Act 1993.
Neither the information nor the report should be released to any person outside Fire and Emergency NZ without prior approval
SMS Incident Report F2452708
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28/01/2019 13:59:30
adjacent to a residential area, from throughout the Wanaka basin .
Supposed Cause:
The actions of the owner of the property included disposing of the wood ash and
embers involved then confining them to a metal container to allow them to cool
before disposal. These actions are in line with advice provided by FENZ.
Their belief was that sufficient time had passed to allow the wood ashes to die out.
As per terms of reference:
1982
While a total fire ban was in place, consideration was given towards contravening
clauses within the Fire and Emergency New Zealand Act 2017.
Act
I cannot identify any particular clause under the Act through section 54 to 57 that is
specific to this incident.
Section 61 Burning or smouldering substance in open air
(1) This section applies to a person who causes or allows a substance to burn or
smoulder in open air and leaves the burning or smouldering substance in a way
that increases the likelihood of harm or damage arising from the start or spread
of fire.
(2) This clause refers to taking practical steps to reduce the consequence of
damage arising from the start or spread of fire. Their actions upon discovery of fire
were practical and believed to be sufficient to prevent further harm or damage.
Information
Clause (5) provides an ability to light a fire within a building or structure and that
complies with any relevant requirement of the Building Act 2004 and the relevant
district plan; in this event the fire was lit within a fireplace that met these
requirements.
Official
This fire is accidental. The fire was the result of live embers igniting vegetation
cuttings and tree trimmings. This in turn ignited dry grass before spreading to
scrub and bracken on neighbouring properties.
the
Fire spread was rapid and exacerbated by the extreme dry conditions and assisted
by the slope and aspect of the land involved.
Michael Cahill
under
2/9/2018 1:59:23 PM
Reporter Comments
Photographs and additional documents are found on mpad.
Michael Cahill
2/9/2018 2:00:01 PM
Reporter Comments
Released
FSO Requested at incident F2452708 on 03 Jan 2018 14:47
Action was taken and a full report was not created because: this was not requested
Action was taken and a full report was not created because: Accidental
Michael Cahill
Caution: The information contained in this report is subject to the provisions of the Official Information Act 1982 and the Privacy Act 1993.
Neither the information nor the report should be released to any person outside Fire and Emergency NZ without prior approval
