DISASTROUS FIRE

Lake County Mail, Issue 29, 10 December 1947, Page 4

DISASTROUS FIRE

Grazing Land Destroyed A big area of grazing land on the Coronet Peak sheep station, near Arrowtown, was destroyed in a fire which broke out early last week. Starting in an isolated district, the fire had a firm hold when assistance was summoned from Arrowtown on Thursday, and in spite of the efforts of volunteer fire fighters it seemed at one stage that the blaze would spread right through to Lake Wanaka. It was confined to a triangular section of land between two streams near Macetown. Had it not been for the help given by 22 volunteers from Arrowtown, all of whom left their normal occupations at the busy time of the year to fight the fire, the result might have been the wholesale clearance of the grazing land through to Lake Wanaka. When station hands tried to turn back the fire on Wednesday, their efforts were quite nullified by a change in the wind and by the time the Arrowtown volunteers, who were travelling over land which is only accessible by foot and packhorse had arrived, the fire was burning fiercely. Assistance was also given gratuitously by the Southern Scenic Air Trips pilot flying over the area to ascertain the extent of the fire. The Coronet Peak station, formerly owned by Messrs Rowe and Paterson, had only recently come under new ownership. The origin of the fire is not known. Its effects have been all the more serious in that the land was very parched after the dry weather and the fire has burned right to the roots of the tussock and grass.