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More Port Hills evacuees allowed home

Author
NZN,
Publish Date
Wed, 22 Feb 2017, 8:12AM
The Port Hills on fire viewed from Halswell (Twitter)
The Port Hills on fire viewed from Halswell (Twitter)

More Port Hills evacuees allowed home

Author
NZN,
Publish Date
Wed, 22 Feb 2017, 8:12AM

More residents sent fleeing from their homes by fires in Christchurch's Port Hills are set to return home.

A cordon around heavily hit Worsleys Road will open on Wednesday morning, nearly a week after homes were evacuated over the fires that tore through 2000 hectares of scrub and forest.

Civil Defence says residents up to 353 Worsleys Rd will be able to return after 9am, with restrictions still in place for the public.
However, some homes on Dyers Pass and Summit Roads still remain closed off due to ongoing fire risk.

The state of emergency declared last week was extended on Tuesday as fires in the area kept firefighters busy, despite being contained.

Officials have warned conditions could still cause hot spots to flare up and the fire to spread, and said residents should be prepared to evacuate immediately.

Around 20 crews were creating control lines with heavy machinery and with support from helicopters on Tuesday. They were also removing dangerous trees.

Civil Defence has also warned smoke might cover the Christchurch CBD and airport over the next few days and that people should phone their GP if they suffered respiratory problems.

About 400 homes were evacuated in the fires that started on Monday night last week.

At least nine homes were destroyed and two damaged in the fires, according to latest Civil Defence figures.

- NZN

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