Date: January 31, 2018
Location: Awarua, South Island (New Zealand)
Address: 45 Kekeno Place, 9877
Type: Dust Fire
Fuel: Wood Dust
Industry: Chip Milling (Pulp and Paper)
Equipment: None
Company: Southwood Export Limited
Previous Incidents: None Recorded
Loss: No injuries
Capital Cost: Unknown
Status: Open
Confirmation: Unconfirmed
Company Description:
According to the company website, Southwood Export Limited was established in 1981 to produce wood chips for export to Japanese pulp and paper mills. Eventually, it developed its own eucalyptus and radiata pine plantation to produce required timber. It manages forest estates with a total current net stocked area of approximately 12,300 hectares.
Incident Description:
On January 31, 2018, nzherald.co.nz reported a dust fire at a wood chip mill in Awarua, South Island, New Zealand. The plant manager told RNZ that the fire started when a pile of woodchips at the plant combusted.
A firefighting crew consisting of five helicopters, 12 engines, four tankers, and one command unit fought to contain the blaze, which broke out shortly before 4:00 p.m. According to Fire and Emergency NZ, strong winds fanned the flames and caused them to spread onto a pile of logs and wood chips. The organization added that rising winds and dry conditions had created an extreme fire risk across the region.
Thick smoke crossed a nearby highway, which was consequently blocked to traffic. Diversions were set up at various points and police urged motorists to avoid the area if possible. A plant directly across the highway from the fire evacuated their premises as a precaution.
Even after the blaze was contained, fire crews had to deal with several flare-ups. The Southland Times reported that although crews worked overnight and some rain fell, the fire was still smoldering the next day.
A Fire and Emergency NZ representative said that although rain was falling, what it often did was cap the fire by forming a crust that seals the heat inside the log pile and allows it to smolder away for weeks. Three diggers opened up the stack of logs so that helicopters equipped with buckets could douse the center.
There were no injuries reported and both the amount of damage and cause of the fire are currently unknown.
Sources:
Nzherald.co.nz
Southland Times
RNZ
