The Nelson Marlborough Rescue Helicopter flew one person with serious injuries to Nelson Hospital. A St John Ambulance spokesman said one person with moderate injuries was taken to Wairau Hosptal in Blenheim by ambulance. Initially a diversion was in place for northbound traffic, and motorists were asked to avoid the area, and expect delays. Both lanes were reopened by 3pm. Waka Kotahi NZTA also issued a warning to motorists on Friday afternoon to drive carefully and plan trips in advance, as wet and windy conditions were forecast for the weekend. Rain was expected to become heavy on Saturday and continue on Sunday and Monday.
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Two fire appliances have responded to a Blenheim house where one person is believed to have been burnt. (File photo)
A man has been hospitalised with burns following a fire callout at his home in Blenheim. Two fire appliances from the Blenheim Volunteer Fire Brigade were called to a house on Meachen Crescent about 12.44pm on Wednesday. Police and St John Ambulance also responded. A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesman said there was no fire to extinguish on arrival. St John Marlborough territory manager Murray Neal said a man in his 60s was transported by ambulance to Wairau Hospital with minor burns.
The Blenheim Volunteer Fire Brigade and the Renwick Volunteer Fire Brigade attended “to look after the house”. A helicopter also provided a dozen or so” monsoon buckets of water, filled from the back of a Hilux ute, Hayles said. “And a tractor was there, filling its bucket from a creek and splashing it around. It all helped . We had a good outcome today.”
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FENZ Marlborough Kaikōura principal rural fire officer Chris Hayles warns against using machinery in the afternoon. The fire was sparked by a worker grinding the top of a well pipe, sending sparks into some dry grass.
The Blenheim Volunteer Fire Brigade and police attended the fire on Friday evening. (File photo)
A man has been charged with deliberately starting a fire at a property in Blenheim on Friday evening. The Blenheim man, in his 30s, who cannot be named, is charged with intentionally damaging a residential property on Rogers St by fire. Police had accompanied the Blenheim Volunteer Fire Brigade to the property about 5.10pm, due to concerns the fire could be suspicious. The fire was out on arrival. The man was arrested on Whitney St about 5.50pm. He has also been charged with wilfully trespassing on a Rogers St property on Friday, within two years of a trespass warning, and possessing a methamphetamine pipe on the same date.
A crew patrolled the area overnight, and about 20 ground crew returned on Friday morning, Hayles said. Fenz fire investigator John Foley said the fire had spread to the east but the road had acted as a natural fire break, preventing the fire getting into a pine plantation.
Supplied “It would have been bad if it did get in there,” Foley said. “The crews did a good job to haul it up, when and where they did. There was certainly potential for it to go further. And the wind was in our favour, though it did spread pretty quick.” The ground was still smoking on Friday, but crews worked to dampen the area. Crews returned on Saturday and Sunday to monitor the site and ensure there were no flareups.