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After Stillwater resident Lisa Thwaite watched her friend and neighbour’s home burn to the ground last December, she knew something had to change.
The suburb is reliant on tank water, while emergency services face a 20-minute journey down the only access route, a narrow winding road undergoing extensive roadworks.
Thwaite admits that the December blaze, which saw 15 trucks, tankers and support vehicles in attendance, left her shaken.
“It happened so fast, and we are so vulnerable here because we are on tank supplies, so our water access is limited.
Concerned about the growing fire risk, she organised a meeting to bring together the community and fire services to discuss what measures they could take for better fire preparedness.
According to the NZ Firefighting Code of Practice, in areas without a reticulated water supply there should be 45,000 litres of water available with 90m of homes dwellings. Stillwater, home to about 934 people and 324 dwellings, falls far short of that requirement.
“There is no way we have that amount of water in Stillwater, especially in the current dry conditions,” Thwaite says.
Another threat facing the community emerged at the meeting; a large, unmanaged block of wilding pines on private land at the south east side of the suburb.
Lisa says a firebreak once existed, but it has long since become overgrown.
Despite their efforts, residents have been unable to contact the landowner, and Thwaite says the community is growing increasingly worried.
‘It’s tinder dry and much as we try to stop it, kids go up there to ride motorbikes and muck about. I’ve walked up there and found lots of fire pits. All it takes is a spark for the whole lot to go up. The fire service advised us the fire break needs to be at least twice the height of the trees – well some of them are at least 20 metres high now!”
Despite the challenges, Thwaite says she was inspired by the support from the Stillwater community.
“We had a great turnout and it’s about mitigating our risk as much as possible. The fire service gave us insights and although there is a lot of work to be done, and people to talk to, it is a step forward to get together and make a plan.”
Already Auckland councillors John Watson and Wayne Walker, who attended the meeting, have responded by raising the issue with Auckland Council, especially assistance with clearing the fire break and better water provision.
“Given the concerns expressed it’s important authorities come up with some responses that simultaneously alleviate the risk of fire starting as well as increasing the potential access to water supply in the area in the event of one actually breaking out,” Cr Watson says. “There’s a strong community spirit in Stillwater and it was clear from the meeting there’s a good core of people willing to get involved and work together to improve the situation.”
