A fire destroyed dozens of homes in New Zealand, authorities said Monday (October 5th), deeming miraculous that there were no casualties when
"an orange wall"
fell on an isolated face of the island from South.
The fire started in a forest in the mountains early Sunday morning and, fueled by strong winds, spread to the village of Lake Ohau, forcing residents to flee for survival.
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About fifty buildings were destroyed and the situation remained
"tense" on
Monday, especially because of the strong winds, with eleven helicopters and nine firefighting companies trying to contain the flames, the fire department said.
“The truth is, it's a little miracle that no one was hurt,”
said Waitaki District Mayor Gary Kircher.
"I spoke with a man who got up to go see his dog
(who was barking)
at dawn, he opened his door and saw this orange wall
," he added.
Fires are relatively common on the South Island at this time of year but the size and intensity of it is unusual.
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