January 26, 2009

A boat trailer which broke free from its tow-bar caused two fires which closed State Highway 1 south of Oamaru for about two hours yesterday.
The new, empty trailer was being transported north when it left the tow-ball and was dragged along the road by its safety chain. It broke the chain and crashed into the Waiareka Creek bridge, just north of Woolshed Rd.
Sparks from the dragged trailer ignited two fires about 1pm.
The first fire, about 1km south of Woolshed Rd, was extinguished by the Weston Fire Brigade.
The Weston, Oamaru, Kakanui and Waitaki Rural fire crews fought the second fire at Woolshed Rd, which spread into a macrocarpa hedge.
About 25 firefighters were involved.
At the Woolshed Rd fire, SH 1 was closed about two hours because of the number of tankers, units and fire crew involved. A detour was in place along Woolshed Rd to Weston then back to SH 1.
About 3pm, the southbound lane reopened at Woolshed Rd.
The Duntroon Volunteer Fire Brigade was called to a small fire in a wheat paddock on Doctors Creek Rd about 6.15pm yesterday.
Near Garston, a small grass fire was out before the Garston Fire Brigade arrived at the Fairlight Railway Station about 2.20pm yesterday.
Garston chief fire officer Bob Hume said the fire in grass near the railway line was started by the Kingston Flyer steam train, but railways staff had managed to put it out before firefighters arrived. Staff normally followed the train as it travelled between Kingston and Fairlight in case fires were started, he said. .
Sparks from hay-making equipment are believed to have set fire to dry matter in a paddock on Allanton-Waihola Rd at Henley about 12.45pm yesterday .
Outram Fire Brigade station officer David Cottle said the fire took an hour and a-half to extinguish.
The brigade was again called out at 3.32pm, this time to a fire in grass on a riverbank on Riverside Rd, Henley. It is believed sparks from an electric fence started the fire.
Mr Cottle said grass in the area was tinder-dry.
There was another vegetation fire in the Berwick Forest earlier in the day.
A Fire Service spokesman said many of the weekend's fire calls across the South Island were to grass fires.