Nursery Drive Explosion Injures Three

Three people were hospitalized following an explosion and fire on Nursery Drive in Ashburton. Two victims were taken to Ashburton Hospital in moderate condition. A third person was airlifted to Christchurch Hospital in serious condition.

Emergency services received the call for the incident at 5:38 p.m. on Wednesday. A Hato Hone St John spokesperson confirmed the arrival of three ambulances, one helicopter, and one operations manager at the scene.

Ashburton Volunteer Fire Brigade chief Jeff Marshall said the initial fire started on a jet ski parked on a trailer in a driveway. The flames spread to a second jet ski. Marshall noted that four crew members used breathing apparatus to fight the blaze. He stated that neighboring properties sustained no damage, though a car in the same driveway suffered residual heat damage to its tail light. Police managed traffic at the site.

Firefighters in the region have been busy this week. On Monday night, Ashburton crews responded to two separate hedge fires. The first broke out just before 10 p.m. in the Coldstream area. Marshall described it as a 300m hedge fire pushed toward a house by strong winds. Eight appliances from Willowby, Geraldine, Rangitata, and Ashburton attended. Crews focused on the tree line to save the structure. They remained on the scene for nearly three hours.

An hour later, at 11 p.m., crews were dispatched to a tree and scrub fire in the Lowcliffe area. Marshall said the fire covered approximately 30m by 10m in the fence line. Some appliances from the Coldstream incident were redirected to this second call. The Ashburton Brigade, along with units from Geraldine, Rangitata, Temuka, Pendarves, and Mayfield, responded. Marshall said crew members did not return home until after 2 a.m.

Last Tuesday at 11:30 p.m., the Rakaia Volunteer Fire Brigade handled a two-vehicle incident at the corner of Hatfield Overdale Road and State Highway 1. Fire chief Tyrone Burrowes said a vehicle failed to stop at the intersection and clipped the front of a truck. His team kept both lanes open by slowing traffic and clearing debris. A police spokesperson said one driver received an infringement notice. Hato Hone St John sent one ambulance, but a spokesperson said all patients declined an assessment.