Fire in Wairau Valley Marlborough Feb 2015

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TLD

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Ultimate Geek

#164310 5-Feb-2015 08:38

Just got out of bed and the Wairau valley is full of smoke. Stuff is saying there's a big fire up what we call the North Bank which due west of us. Sounds like another big one. Must be a bugger fighting it because we have sore throats and eyes and we are 10k away.

Trevor Dennis
Rapaura (near Blenheim)

timmmay

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#1231511 5-Feb-2015 09:23

A more descriptive title would be useful. "Fire in Waiaru Valley Feb 2015" or "The South Island Fires of Summer 2015".

Geektastic

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#1231549 5-Feb-2015 10:05

Start packing your stuff and make sure the car is fuelled in case the wind changes....

TLD

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Ultimate Geek

#1231600 5-Feb-2015 11:16

I was starting to think it was beaten as the sky to the north of me is now clear, but as the day and fire get hotter, the smoke is going higher. It is still thick to the west of me. We have a camera club Facebook group with people spread all over the area, and have been chatting and reporting on local conditions since I started this thread. With nine helicopters and some fixed wing planes fighting, I think it should come under control fairly quickly.

My wife is a manager at the local hospital and gets email updates from Marlborough Civil Defense & Emergency, and they are saying it will take days to fully extinguish. We had another fire in the same area just yesterday. One of the camera club members is west of Renwick and very close to today's fire, and she is very nervous! She is also profoundly deaf, so can't hear news on the radio.

I don't know if the FB group will be visible to non members

Sorry about the over succinct subject title. It was all very dramatic to wake up to, and my thoughts were happening in banner headlines!

Latest update on Stuff is 30 minutes old now. Hah! Headline includes the line 'Great Balls of Fire'. We love a bit of drama down here we do :-)

Trevor Dennis
Rapaura (near Blenheim)

Dstarzero

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Ultimate Geek

#1231613 5-Feb-2015 11:20

timmmay: A more descriptive title would be useful. "Fire in Waiaru Valley Feb 2015" or "The South Island Fires of Summer 2015".

agreed. I thought he was talking about the Amazon Fire TV or Fire phone.

TLD

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Ultimate Geek

#1231620 5-Feb-2015 11:26

A buddy is on the scene and says a helicopter has just crashed!

Trevor Dennis
Rapaura (near Blenheim)

Inphinity

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#1231625 5-Feb-2015 11:33

Eek, read the title and thought it was in the Wairau Valley in Auckland, phew. Hope it gets under control soon, though, and everyone is OK.

Stu

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#1231661 5-Feb-2015 12:07

Corrected spelling of Wairau and added Marlborough to the subject.

People often mistake me for an adult because of my age.

Keep calm, and carry on posting.

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Stu

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#1231673 5-Feb-2015 12:09

Good to hear the pilot in the crashed helicopter appears to be okay, other than minor injuries.

People often mistake me for an adult because of my age.

Keep calm, and carry on posting.

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TLD

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Ultimate Geek

#1231773 5-Feb-2015 15:27

Yes, thank goodness the pilot is OK. He was filling up his monsoon bucket at the river, and the wind stood the helicopter on its end and turned it over. Trouble is the wind is really gusting up now. We are also looking at possible power cuts., so we are on well water so we are adding to our emergency supplies just in case.

Trevor Dennis
Rapaura (near Blenheim)

Jarno

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Ultimate Geek

#1231853 5-Feb-2015 18:47

The Nelson Marlborough rescue helicopter is helping out. The tracking data looks exhausting.

DarthKermit

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#1231861 5-Feb-2015 19:12

Very bad fire!

I mountain biked in the Onamalutu Domain back in the 1990s. Beautiful spot. I hope it's put out soon.

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