Bejon Haswell/Stuff Civil Defence Minister Peeni Henare, right, talks to the Mackenzie District Council’s emergency operations centre public information manager, Chris Clarke, at Pukaki Airport on Tuesday. BEJON HASWELL/STUFF Civil Defence minister Peeni Henare visits Twizel and the site of the fire which has been burning alongside Lake Pukaki since Sunday. While there is still a focus on dampening down hot spots, the attention of local body authorities was now on the threat posed across the district by wilding pines – the majority of trees burnt in the fire. Mackenzie District mayor Graham Smith said the area where the fire had ripped through was probably "the most hazardous in terms of wilding pines in the district". "The property that did have a lot [of wilding pines] on, Pukaki Downs, had actually done a huge amount of clearing and without them doing that this fire would have been even worse."

Source: Stuff September 01, 2020 02:37 UTC