Flaming possum blamed for New Zealand fire
Saturday, January 20, 2007
- 20 January 2012: Wikinews Shorts: January 20, 2012
- 1 October 2011: 'Fascinating' and 'provocative' research examines genetic elements of bipolar, schizophrenia
- 18 August 2011: Former Governor-General of New Zealand Paul Reeves dies aged 78
- 9 August 2011: Allied WWII spy Nancy Wake dies aged 98
- 3 May 2011: One confirmed dead after tornado hits Auckland, New Zealand
The New Zealand Department of Conservation (DoC) has blamed a flaming possum for causing a big fire yesterday at the skifield in The Remarkables, Queenstown, New Zealand.
The possum attempted to run across two power lines and caught alight and then fell into some dry tussock.
Nick Edwards, spokesman for Wakatipu DoC, said that it was not the first time a possum on fire has started a fire, even though it does sound unusual. Mr Edwards said that the possum never stood a chance of surviving.
The fire burnt 50-hectares in the Rastus Burn Recreation Reserve. It took crews of firefighters and three helicopters twelve hours to bring the fire under control.
A crew of firefighters and one helicopter will stay to prevent any flare-ups.
Sources
- Nzpa. "Possum blamed for starting skifield fire" — stuff, January 20, 2007
- "Possum causes massive fire" — Newstalk ZB, January 20, 2007
- "DoC believes flaming possum started massive fire" — 3 News, January 19, 2007
