Fireys have been busy around the Mid Canterbury this week attending multiple callouts in the district, and further afield.
Since Monday to 9am this morning, volunteer firefighters have attended at least 15 callouts ranging from medical responses to vegetation and structure fires.
Fire callouts peaked on Wednesday as strong nor’west winds hit the district. The MetService weather report says the temperature on Wednesday was 24.7 degrees, and nor’ west winds reached 85km/ph.
That day, there were eight fire callouts – vegetation and structure – which needed multiple brigades attending: among them 23 brigades from within Mid Canterbury.
The same day crews from EA Networks lines company dealt with a more than 15 power outages across the district from 11.27am affecting more than 1600 customers, some multiple times.
The longest outage was for customers on Arundel Rakaia Gorge Road, Rutherfords Road and Springburn Bushside Road where the power went off on Wednesday at 2.17pm but was not restored until 8.31pm the following day.
Meanwhile a group of friends warming themselves with a fire in a backyard drum last week had uninvited guests, those being firefighters.
The Ashburton Volunteer Fire Brigade responded to the callout in town about 4.15pm on September 10.
Chief Jeff Marshall said the group was sitting outside drinking. They had broken up wooden pallets and were burning those in a drum.
Firefighters told them about regional council air quality rules for outdoor fires. They are not allowed on properties under 2ha; the only exception is outdoor cooking, including barbecues, pizza ovens, hangi – or umu, if the smoke is not objectionable.
‘‘We always try to explain the reasons why,’’ Marshall said.
‘‘Those guys were pretty good,’’ he said of how the group reacted. The friends even ended up extinguishing the fire themselves, tipping buckets of water filled from an outdoor tap.
The brigade was called to another backyard fire in a drum on a town property on Sunday, about 4pm.
This time it was someone burning unwanted household items after moving house.
The two callouts followed one on September 9, in a pile of branches and other garden waste measuring about 2m square.
It was in the Ashburton River bed, under Digby’s Bridge.
‘‘That’s just frustrating and dangerous, because it could get into the river bed,’’ Marshall said.
He advised residents to correctly dispose of their greenwaste, by taking it to the Ashburton Resource Recovery Park.
The greenwaste minimum charge, up to 50kg, is $6.50.
Meanwhile fireys have been busy in the district this week attending multiple callouts.
Since Monday volunteer firefighters have attended at least 15 callouts ranging from medical responses, to vegetation and structure fires.
Callouts peaked with high winds blanketing the district on Wednesday where eight callouts were responded to by 23 brigades.
