All Black legend Richie McCaw gave up part of Christmas Day to do his bit to help fight a large fire which flared up in Canterbury. A huge blaze near the town of Hororata saw more than 20 fire trucks and five helicopters battling the flames yesterday - in control of one of those helicopters was McCaw. Homes in the area were evacuated but only one shed and a number of hedges were lost to the fire. "No homes have been lost, and we hope to return people back to their homes shortly," the Fire Service said in a tweet. McCaw has put his flying skills to good use before helping douse the flames during the Port Hills fire earlier this year and helping with avalanche control in Porters Ski Area near Christchurch.

Source: Otago Daily Times December 25, 2017 20:03 UTC