Update on Port Hills fire – 11PM
NOTE: Unless necessary, there will be no further updates until 8AM tomorrow (Sunday)

Temporary resident access to cordon zones
As a result of significant progress tonight in assessing fire containment lines, residents will be permitted temporary access to the cordoned zones between 9am and 11am on Sunday 19 February.
Selwyn’s Emergency Operations Centre will issue a confirmation of this managed access at 8am. Weather conditions and the level of risk of the fire to spread will be key considerations in the access going ahead.
If confirmed, Police will manage access to the zones and residents will need to register if they have not already done so, either online, by calling the CCC Call Centre at 941 8999, or at the cordon entry.
Access points will be located at 305 Kennedys Bush and 51 Hoon Hay Valley Road only.
Sign-in and compulsory briefing for Kennedys Bush Road residents will happen at 8am for a 9am entry.
Sign-in and compulsory briefing for Hoon Hay Valley Road residents will happen at 9am for a 10am entry.
Residents will be permitted access to retrieve essential items only. The managed access will be restricted to adult residents only.
Worsleys Road remains the most at risk of fire spreading, and with a number of complex risk factors, it is unsafe to enter. Options for access to Worsleys Road properties will be re-assessed tomorrow (Sunday).

Firefighting operation update
Firefighting crews have made good progress in controlling the Port Hills fire today; however, it is far from being put out.
Rural and urban fire crews have done a good job of containing the fire around the 29km perimeter, which is now about 68 per cent controlled. This is defined as bare earth or blacked-out ground for at least 10 metres.
Today 20 fire crews have continued to create a 20-metre fire-break with heavy machinery and by hand. Air operations also helped ground crew who were identifying hotpots and putting them out.
Three fixed-wing aircraft dropped about 60,000 litres of retardant today over a 1.5-kilometre line along the perimeter of the fire area, between Kennedy’s Bush Road and Hoon Hay Valley Road. Each aircraft made 10 drops of 2,000 litres each. The line should be completed by nightfall.
If weather conditions remain favourable, another retardant drop will be made in the Marley’s Hill area to strengthen the existing line around the Sugarloaf communications aerial.

Risk of flare-ups high
Fire behaviour specialist Nathan Keoghan says it is important to remember that the fire is not out, and that there could still be a few difficult days ahead.
Mr Keoghan says the fire risk remains high. There is still a risk of flare-ups that may ignite unburnt vegetation fuel inside the burnt area, as well as outside the containment and control lines.
The ground temperature of hotspots in the fire area can be anything between 100 and 500 degrees Celsius.
“The 3mm of rain over the last 24 hours has been helpful; however, more is needed to reduce the risk of flare-ups. About 50mm in one day, or 30mm over three consecutive days, is needed to cool the extreme ground temperatures and lessen the risk of unburnt fuel catching fire,” says Mr Keoghan.
“Warm temperatures forecast with windy conditions could change things very quickly. It would draw any moisture from the ground in a few hours and could result in flare-ups.”

Total fire ban remains in place
A total fire ban remains in place for the Canterbury region. This was put in place by the National Rural Fire Authority last Thursday to free up resources for the firefighting effort on the Port Hills.
As firefighting resources are so stretched, there is limited capacity to respond to any other events.
The Port Hills firefighting effort has required a national multi-agency approach. Everyone involved is focused on doing anything possible to control the fire, remove threat and protect people’s lives and homes.

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