A wildfire at Lake Tekapo earlier this month, fanned by extremely strong winds, has burnt through a range of vegetation on privately-owned land, including forestry, farmland and wilding pines.  

The fire prompted a strong warning for landowners to make sure any old land management fires are completely extinguished.

Fire and Emergency Incident Controller, Steve Ochsner, says the fire was reported at 2.45am, very close to the Tekapo Power Station on Tekapo Powerhouse Road, and near Lake Tekapo Village. Crews worked to protect the power station in the early hours.

Thanks to steady rain and calm conditions in the area, crews had the chance to create a control line. Crews from Lake Tekapo, Twizel, Fairlie and Burkes Pass fought the fire overnight.

"This would have been a completely different story if the wind had kept up and we hadn’t had the rain," Mr Ochsner says. 

Four crews worked on the fire, with four-wheel-drive fire trucks. Two excavators also cleared access to the fireground and created firebreaks.

There will be an investigation into the circumstances of the fire, which is not considered suspicious.

Mid-South Canterbury District Manager, Rob Hands, says that it was pure luck that the weather changed, bringing calm conditions and rain to the area.

"Lake Tekapo area has a high risk of wildfire all year round. This incident shows how easily a fire will run in windy conditions, so people have to be vigilant all the time and take extra care when they are lighting any fires on their own property. Fireworks are an additional risk at this time of year.”

Fire and Emergency is working with Mackenzie District Council, Environment Canterbury and the Department of Conservation on a wildfire risk reduction programme for the Lake Tekapo community. Mr Hands says this fire illustrates just how important that work is.