Fire spreads after power lines fall near Gore

Fire crews were called to a vegetation fire in rural Waimumu southwest of Gore on Monday afternoon after power lines fell in strong winds, setting grass and a hedge alight. 200kmh gust as wild weather hammers South Island Winds fan blaze near Roxburgh Crews from Gore, Hedgehope and Mataura attended the incident, off Waimumu Rd. Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) spokesman Alex Norris said the flames spread to a nearby hedge. “We’ve got about 20 metres worth of hedge currently on fire,” he said. “We’ve got to work to extinguish this one, hopefully shortly, and go from there.” Mr Norris said crews waited for the power to be isolated to the area before they started extinguishing the blaze. “We are advising people that if they’re looking to do any controlled burns or anything like that, don’t do it today, because the winds are coming up,” he said.