Student Volunteer Army to help with Lake Ōhau conservation stuff.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from stuff.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Fire crews were faced with an apocalyptic scene when they came to battle the Lake Ōhau fire.
A holidaymaker who was staying at Lake Ōhau when a fire devastated the village in October says her family was not alerted to the dangers when others were and she hopes lessons can be learned. A massive fire swept through Lake Ōhau Village in the early hours of October 3, destroying 48 properties, burning across more than 5000 hectares and resulting in insurance claims of $34.8 million. All the residents and visitors managed to safely evacuate the village and there was no loss of human life. At the time, Fire and Emergency NZ (Fenz) staff labelled those who raced around the village knocking on doors, raising people from their slumber to escape the fire, as heroes.