Siberia Hut destroyed by fire
16 March 2011
The popular Siberia Hut on the Gillespie Pass Circuit Track in Mt Aspiring National
Park burnt to the ground today.
Trampers raised the alarm at approx 4.30pm by running to the Kerin Forks Hut in the
Wilkin Valley to contact the department�s Wanaka Area Office by radio.
It is believed that the fire started at approx 3.15pm. The cause at this stage is
unknown. Fire authorities will be investigating the incident in the coming days.
There were no injuries to trampers in the hut. The 8 adults and 5 children in the
huts are being evacuated by helicopter.
Siberia Hut was original built in the early 1980s.
Around 2,000 trampers per year use the hut � which has 20 bunks.
Paul Hellebrekers, Area Manager, Wanaka said, �At this stage our priority is
evacuating people from the valley and work through the process to determine the
cause of the fire.�
For further details contact Paul Hellebrekers on 027 222 4139.
A further media release will be provided tomorrow.
Does anyone have an online reference for this? A quick Google News search for Siberia Hut pops up zero results. Where was this press release copied and pasted from?
It's on the Alpine Club web site http://alpineclub.org.nz/news/2011/siberia-hut-destroyed-by-fire
There used to be a tab for press releases onthe DOC web site, but it doesn't seem to exist any more. Probably laid off the preson who coordinated it.
Thanks, pmcke. It's just useful having a reference to the source so as to be able to check out how official it is.
DoC does still have a section for press releases. You need to look under "About DOC"/"News", then click Media Releases and you get to this page -- http://doc.govt.nz/about-doc/news/media-releases/
-- not to say that it's useful in this case. At the time I write this, the most recent press release is 3 days old. Perhaps DoC's waiting until it knows more about the circumstances, but you'd still think there might be some kind of broadcast to catch people who might have been planning to go there.
Just read that today in the Otago Daily Times... heres the online version: http://www.odt.co.nz/regions/otago/152333/doc-hut-burns-trampers-evacuated
Damn shame. That was a really nice hut and beutifully located. A tad on the small size though, the Gillespie Pass ciruit is hugely popular these days and 20 bunks was never enough for the 3 times Ive stayed there with people sleeping on the floor, on the deck outside, in the woodshed and in tents on the grass. Hopefully the new hut will be in the 24-30 bunk range.
A bit sad, but there's heaps of campsites up that way. Who needs a hut, anyway?
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| Forum | The campfire |
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| Started by | Danilo Hegg |
| On | 17 March 2011 |
| Replies | 5 |
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