John Joseph managed to get his dogs, a cat and a goat out when he left his Port Hills home. Photo: RNZ/Adam Burns
It was three words they did not want to hear.
"Still not contained," Fire and Emergency Assistant Commander Des Irving told a room full of anxious evacuees on Thursday morning.
Among them was a man who stands to lose more than most if the Summit Rd fire is not brought under control. But John Joseph is not one for worrying about the 'what ifs'.
The wily 86-year-old was stubbornly refusing to leave his property yesterday, and nearly got himself arrested.
"I haven't even got a shirt," he told Stuff.
"My son gave me this one. He said he didn't like my shirt ... said it looked a bit tatty."
"It's in case you go on television," David added.
Joseph reckoned if he survived the 2017 Port Hill fires, he could do it again.
But police had a different view, so he was forced to leave and kip at another son's house.
His property is on Worsleys Rd near where the worst of the three fires is burning. Eight helicopters were battling to gain control in the area on Thursday morning.
Photos his son took before they left showed the fire was alarmingly close.
But Joseph took it all in his stride, with a dollop of humour.
"Might be having roast potatoes tonight," he chuckled, referring to his organic potato garden.
A helicopter battles the blaze on Thursday. Photo: Fire and Emergency NZ Facebook / James Stonely
His laidback attitude was born out of being through it all before - and coming out the other side.
In the 2017 fires, he and his late wife slung their alpacas round their necks, and hoofed it down the hill, through neighbouring paddocks.
Joseph lost three buildings then and precious photos and diaries, but he reckoned the property was protected by a higher power, because of what he hoped to do with it - he and his wife put the property into a charitable trust so that they could grow food to give to less fortunate people.
"The whole objective is to see the restoration of young people particularly with mental challenges."
As of Thursday afternoon John's higher power seemed to be on side. A quick trip to his property showed some structures and fences had burnt causing an estimated $20,000-30,000 damage, but his alpacas and his home were fine. He was hoping for no more flare-ups overnight.
John's granddaughter did not fare as well, losing her container home to the fire.
Last time the fire surrounded his boundary, but miraculously, did not consume it.
Now he was waiting to see if he and 10 alpacas he left behind got a second slice of luck. He did manage to get his dogs, a cat and a goat out, although it was a slow trip down the hill as he towed them from the car.
For others like Matt Prebble from Early Valley, the news was looking a little better. He was down in Timaru working when he got the news that there was a fire nearby and did not get a chance to go home.
But Irving gave him a glimmer of hope, saying that the fires in Early and Hoon Hay Valley were "looking a lot better subject to weather conditions".
Many residents in these valleys were able to return home on Thursday night.
Prebble thought it was time Christchurch City Council put together a co-ordinated strategy for fire, and thought land use on the hills was partly to blame for the fires.
Where once there were three properties where he lived, there were now 50. He also believed farming on the hills did not help.
"It's a huge problem."
This story was originally published by Stuff.