Christchurch fire prompts hundreds of evacuations, state of emergency declared
Updated
Hundreds of people in the New Zealand city of Christchurch have been evacuated from their homes as bushfires threaten some suburbs.
At least one home was burned down in the Port Hills, just a few kilometres south of Christchurch's city centre.
The mayors of Christchurch City and the adjacent Selwyn District declared a state of emergency. Selwyn Mayor Sam Broughton said changing winds made the fires unpredictable.
He said the region had been unusually dry for the past three years and the grass in the hills had turned brown over the summer.
Smoke and ash from the fire has been blown across Christchurch, New Zealand's second-largest city.
Mr Broughton said displaced residents were staying at evacuation centres or with relatives.
"They need to look after one another, and make sure they have a place to go to tonight," he said.
Phil Claude told Radio New Zealand he and his family ran down a grass track to escape the fire, which destroyed their home.
"I could see that the smoke and the flames were being blown right up toward our house and I just yelled 'get out, get out!'," he said.
He said he had been told his house "was apparently singed" but found it burned to the ground when he returned.
"We didn't have time to get anything [out]," Mr Claude said.
New Zealand's military has been deployed to provide water tankers and engineering equipment as well as firefighters and other personnel.
A helicopter pilot died in a crash on Tuesday while fighting the blaze.
The military revealed the pilot, Corporal David Steven Askin, had won one of the country's top awards for bravery, for his efforts in Afghanistan.
A member of the elite Special Air Service, Corporal Askin's identity was kept secret at the time he won the Gallantry Star medal in 2014.
He was cited for efforts that included helping save guests during the 2011 siege of the luxury Inter-Continental Hotel in Kabul that left at least 20 people dead.
"Corporal Askin was wounded by grenade and rifle fire, yet carried on his mission and rescued guests from the hotel as fire broke out," the Defence Force said in a statement.
AP
Topics: fires, bushfire, new-zealand
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