The Pigeon Valley Fire was a wildfire in the
Tasman District
Tasman District () is a local government district in the northwest of the South Island of New Zealand. It borders the Canterbury Region, West Coast Region, Marlborough Region and Nelson City. It is administered by the Tasman District Council, ...
and briefly the largest wildfire in New Zealand history before being surpassed by the
Lake Ōhau Fire a year later.
The fire began on the afternoon of the 5th of February following a spark caused by farming equipment. Very dry drought conditions saw it grow rapidly and it soon began threatening the town of
Wakefield
Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population, ...
forcing a major evacuation of its three thousand residents
.
It was declared to be under control on the 6th of March and by the 8th of July had been deemed to be "well and truly under control" but was thought to be likely still be smoldering in places after having been left to burn itself out.
History
On 6 February 2019, a
state of emergency
A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to be able to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state du ...
was declared in the Tasman region due to the fire in Pigeon Valley.
By 9 February 2019, the Pigeon Valley fire was being described as the country's largest since 1955. Also, with 22 helicopters involved, it is New Zealand's largest aerial firefight on record. The fire caused 3,000 people from Wakefield and hundreds from surrounding areas to evacuate their homes and destroyed one house.
On 17 February 2019, a helicopter crashed while fighting the fire in Tasman district, injuring the pilot.
The state of emergency declared on 6 February was extended for another seven days on 19 February.
The final group of about 230 residents evacuated from the Pigeon Valley fire near Wakefield were permitted to return to their homes on 21 February. The fire was not completely out and their return was on the understanding that they might be required to leave again at short notice.
With the state of emergency lifted, work was continuing on 28 February to put out the fire completely, which it was feared might take weeks or months with conditions "bone dry".
On 6 March 2019, Nelson Tasman Emergency Management Group posted a notification that the Pigeon Valley fire was "controlled" and residents were no longer required to be ready to evacuate. The emergency management group defined a controlled fire as "one that is extinguished around the perimeter and is not moving...
ith
The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometres, is the longest line of crags in North Germany.
Geography
Location
The Ith is immediatel ...
a 100 metre cold zone."
Inquiry
A report by the Australasian Fire and Emergency Services Authorities Council, released on 30 October 2019, recommended a nationally consistent framework for tactical fire planning, and a list of 12 recommendations.
Animal welfare response
On 6 February, HUHA founder Carolyn Press-McKenzie arrived in Nelson to setup an animal welfare shelter at the Richmond Showgrounds. By the 8th of February the temporary animal shelter was able to hold 956 animals, providing for companion animals, stock and injured wildlife amid growing public concern over animals trapped behind fire cordons
Huha was joined by groups of volunteers, veterinarians and specialist organisations under the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) at the shelter, including SPCA's VERT team, the national rescue team (NRT), Federated Farmers, Animal Evac NZ and others. MPI, as the lead agency for animal welfare in disasters in New Zealand, also provided a team of vets and animal officers who carried out animal welfare checks.
A 16 person animal disaster response team were deployed by non-profit organisation, Animal Evac New Zealand on 9 February 2019 to the Richmond showground. The team included vet nurses, animal management officers and former SPCA inspectors as well as animal disaster and rescue experts and assisted MPI in recording the location of at risk companion animals and supporting owners at the Saxton welfare centre. Limited initial farm rescues were also carried out at the request of local farmers and with permission of MPI and the New Zealand Police
Animal casualties included 40 plus sheep which were euthanised after being unable to escape from a fenced enclosure during the fire and badly burnt
Volunteer organisations received widespread praise for their response from government agencies involved and the local residents.
See also
*
2019 in New Zealand
*
List of fires
This article is a list of notable fires.
Town and city fires
Building or structure fires
Transportation fires
Mining (including oil and natural gas drilling) fires
This is a partial list of fire due to mining: man-made structures to extra ...
References
External links
Satellite imagery of the fire (Duncan Steel)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson fires
Wildfires in New Zealand
2019 in New Zealand
2019 wildfires
February 2019 events in New Zealand
2019 disasters in New Zealand
2019 fires in Oceania