Major wildfire in Christchurch’s Port Hills, state of emergency declared, New Zealand

Major wildfire in Christchurch’s Port Hills, state of emergency declared, New Zealand

Fire and Emergency New Zealand reported a large vegetation fire covering about 650 ha (1 606 acres) in the Port Hills near Christchurch on February 15, 2024. A state of emergency was declared the previous day, with 130 firefighters, 11 helicopters, and heavy machinery deployed. Evacuations affected 80 properties, though no homes were lost. The blaze remains uncontained, and a public health warning was issued due to smoke.

Wildfires threaten New Zealand’s Christchurch

Wildfires threaten New Zealand’s Christchurch

A state of emergency has been declared in New Zealand's Christchurch as wildfires threatened its suburbs on February 15, 2017, forcing up to 1 000 people to evacuate. As of early UTC morning, at least one person has been killed and 5 homes destroyed….