Latest news with #AndrewQuigley
RNZ News
26-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
'Massive' hay shed fire cost Canterbury company up to $1.5 million
Photo: Supplied / Quigley Contracting A Canterbury business owner is absolutely gutted after more than half of his winter feed went up in flames. A fire destroyed more than 12,000 bales of hay as it tore through two sheds at Quigley Contracting in Winslow, about 10 kilometres southwest of Ashburton, on 14 May. Dozens of firefighters tackled the blaze and work continued on operations for four days until what was left of the bales was cleared, covered and capped in a large pit. Quigley Contracting owner Andrew Quigley said it was the most significant loss to the business since it started 22 years ago. He first received a call about the fire shortly before midnight on 14 May. "It was massive," he said. "It's sort of scary - those first few hours, just not knowing whether it is going to spread or another puff of wind is going to come up, and the risk to residential properties around us was probably the biggest concern. Photo: Supplied / Quigley Contracting "We were trying to save every bit of stock we could, and we were moving bales of straw around with our own machinery, just trying to eliminate the risk of further spread. "It was a very, very scary experience." The fire started in one shed and spread to the other shed after burning for 30 to 40 minutes, Quigley said. The damage cost the business between $1.2 milllion and $1.5 million. "It's a significant and huge loss to us," he said. "A lot of the product was pre-sold across New Zealand to different customers. It's probably 50 to 60 percent of our stock that we had on hand lost." Quigley was grateful other contractors and farmers had come forward with offers of feed after the fire. "We're working through that at the moment, but it's looking like we'll have enough product to be able to look after our customers," he said. Photo: Supplied / Quigley Contracting It was not the first time a fire had hit his business with the same site affected four years ago, Quigley said. "It started in a shed, sort of similar. Starting at around two-and-a-half thousand bales and spread," he said. After that fire, water curtains were installed in the sheds and had prevented this fire from being worse. "Those water curtains in the shed worked well; we saved... two sheds that probably would've gone up as well," Quigley said. "So obviously I'm happy with the improvements we've made, but absolutely gutted with all the systems and processes we've put in place that similar events happened." While the cause of the fire had not been determined, Quigley said he suspected it was caused by spontaneous combustion, which was the cause of fire four years ago. Fire and Emergency said the investigation was ongoing.
RNZ News
15-05-2025
- General
- RNZ News
FENZ to investigate cause of fire that burnt thousands of hay bales near Ashburton
Photo: RNZ / Nathan McKinnon A fire investigator will examine the cause of a fire that has burnt through 14,000 hay bales south of Ashburton in Canterbury. The blaze broke out in two hay sheds housing 214,000 bales at Andrew Quigley Contracting in Winslow shortly before midnight on Wednesday. FENZ incident controller Carrie Swanson said the fire had been contained but 50 firefighters remained on site. She said it was too early to assess the full extent of the damage or how many bales had been destroyed. "Crews are working really hard to make sure that the exposures are protected, so that's other assets and buildings that are nearby, just to make sure that no embers are transporting onto those," she said. Swanson said heavy machinery was being brought in to remove the bales and crews expected to be there for the next day or two. It was not yet clear how the fire started, she said. Photo: RNZ / Nathan McKinnon Ashburton district councillor Rob Mackle saw smoke coming from the business the morning. He said Quigley was well-respected in Ashburton and the farming community. "It's a large contracting business, employs a number of staff, and they will be out there helping Andrew at the moment," she said. "There'll be a massive cleanup for him going ahead, but it is a great community here, they'll all be pitching in to help I imagine." Ashburton mayor Neil Brown was at the scene working a day shift for the fire brigade, Mackle said. He said he assumed the fire was caused by combustion, although that was yet to be determined. "If you put hay into a shed, there's always an element of risk of it heating up and catching alight. There is always that risk, but you do your best to mitigate that," he said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
What will the weather be like for the Milwaukee Brewers' home opener this year?
Milwaukee Brewers fans are in for a cloudy home opener with rain, and even some snow, forecast for Monday's face-off against the Kansas City Royals. Temperatures will hover in the upper 30s, "maybe briefly touching 40 degrees" throughout the afternoon, according to Milwaukee-Sullivan National Weather Service meteorologist Andrew Quigley. Though conditions are forecast to be mostly dry by first pitch in the afternoon, morning tailgaters may encounter some rain, wet snowflakes or a mix of both until lunchtime, Quigley said. Winds between 10 to 15 mph will persist throughout the day, with occasional gusts of up to 25 mph. "It's going to be feeling a little bit more like winter out there than spring, unfortunately," Quigley added. For grillers, in particular, he advised bringing some extra supplies Monday. "I know a lot of go-getters like to bring those tents to keep their grills covered up if there is rain," he said, "That might not be a bad idea on Monday, especially." Under cold, rainy and potentially snowy conditions, the roof will almost certainly be closed for the home opener. On the day of the game, you can call the American Family Field roof hotline at 414-902-4636 for confirmation on whether the roof will be closed. The Brewers' home opener at American Family Field is at 1:10 p.m. Monday, March 31 against the Kansas City Royals. The series will continue at 6:40 p.m. Tuesday, April 1 and 12:10 p.m. Wednesday, April 2. The cloudy weather is unlikely to let up anytime soon in Milwaukee, with overcast skies forecast until at least April 3 — though there's a chance of partly cloudy conditions to kick off the weekend. "We're looking at kind of gloomy for the next seven days here across southern Wisconsin, but maybe we can see the sunshine in late Friday afternoon," Quigley said. More: The Milwaukee Brewers' Opening Day and home opener are near. Here's what to know, including Bob Uecker tribute plans This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Brewers' home opener 2025 weather: Rain, wet snow and wind
Yahoo
16-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Up to 2 inches of snow forecast for Milwaukee Sunday morning following warm temperatures last week
Light snowfall is in the forecast Sunday morning with a possible accumulation of two to three inches of snow into the afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. Forecasters say temperatures will get up into the upper 30s with breezy northwest winds around 15 miles per hour on Sunday. Snow should start to melt in southeast Wisconsin around 1 p.m. as temps continue to climb toward the upper 30s, said NWS meteorologist Andrew Quigley. Roads are expected to become slick and snow covered on I-43 from Elkhorn to Milwaukee on Sunday morning, according to the NWS. As of 8:30 a.m. most roads in the area are already partially covered in areas across southwestern Wisconsin, according to WisDOT. For the most up-to-date road conditions, visit Temperatures are expected to fall back below freezing tonight, which could refreeze any precipitation on the roadways, but by late Monday morning and into the afternoon, temperatures are forecasted to hit the 50s. "Welcome to March in Wisconsin," said Quigley. Tomorrow marks the start of a warming trend through Tuesday, before another system moves in on Wednesday with rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. Temperatures are forecasted to fall into the upper 30s by Thursday, according to the NWS. Here are some guidelines for driving on icy roads, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation: Keep safe distances between snow plows and large trucks. Snow plows often leave a cloud of snow in their trail, so stay at least 200 feet behind any working plow to make sure your visibility isn't obscured. Also keep a safe distance behind trucks on the highway, since pieces of snow or ice can fly off the top of commercial vehicles driving fast. Clear snow and ice from your vehicle's windows, roof, hood and front and rear lights. You can do this by warming up the car and then using a snow brush and ice scraper to clear the snow and ice. Drive slowly, allowing extra travel time and leaving extra distance between vehicles. Most winter crashes and slide-offs are caused by drivers going too fast for the existing conditions, according to WisDOT. Turn on your low-beam headlights. State law requires drivers to turn on their vehicle's low-beam headlights any time weather or other conditions make it difficult to see objects 500 feet ahead, WisDOT says. Use brakes early and carefully. With anti-lock-brakes, use firm, steady pressure and gently steer. Never use cruise control in winter weather. Watch out for bridge decks and overpasses. These areas can be especially slippery when the roads ice over. RELATED: 2024 was Milwaukee's warmest year, overtaking 2023, according to National Weather Service This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee, Wisconsin forecast: 2 inches of snow expected Sunday morning
Yahoo
16-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Nearly all of Wisconsin under cold weather advisory Monday for wind chills as low as -25
If snow was the weather story of last week, Monday and Tuesday are all about bitterly cold wind chills. A cold weather advisory is in effect Monday morning for nearly all counties in Wisconsin. Another advisory will likely be issued for Tuesday morning, when the air could feel even colder. In southern counties, including Milwaukee, the current advisory runs from midnight until 11 a.m. The coldest wind chills are expected early Monday morning, between 6 a.m. and 11 a.m., with feels-like temperatures reaching -15 to -25 degrees. Exposed skin can develop frostbite in as little as half an hour when wind chills reach -25 degrees, the National Weather Service says. "Anybody that's going to be outside for any prolonged period of time, make sure you're covering up any exposed, bare skin," NWS meteorologist Andrew Quigley said. "Dress in layers and make sure you're staying warm out there." More: How do Wisconsin meteorologists calculate wind chill, and what does it mean? By Monday, wind chills are expected to be around -10 to -18 degrees. Actual air temperatures will be between zero and -8 degrees. Tuesday will be even colder, with feels-like temperatures down to -28 degrees from midnight to 6 a.m. and as low as -25 degrees for most of the morning. More: Milwaukee is facing negative wind chills this week. Here's a list of warming shelters More: Should you warm up your car when it's extremely cold? Maybe not, says AAA What's causing the dramatic drop in temperatures? It's a combination of cold air from northern Canada, snow already on the ground and wind gusts, Quigley explained. "We had Arctic outbreaks similar to this back in January, but what makes this one a little bit different is we actually have snow on the ground this time around," he said. It's possible that some roads, especially stretches that are in direct sunlight, could melt today and refreeze overnight. Road treatments aren't as effective at such low temperatures. But Quigley doesn't expect widespread impacts for Monday commuters, because temperatures will remain around the low 20s today and prevent much snow from melting. "Any lingering, what I call 'crust' on the roads, from snow that wasn't completely cleared is probably going to be with us here through most of the week," he said. From Wednesday through Saturday, Milwaukee saw just under a foot of total snowfall. About 11.9 inches was recorded, not counting light snow on Sunday morning. Conditions are expected to remain dry for most of this week. There's a very slight chance of snow Wednesday afternoon and evening along the Lake Michigan shoreline. "Right now, those chances are only about 25% or 30%," Quigley said. "Any sort of accumulations would depend on any of that lake effect banding can come on shore, which at least right now ... is not looking overly likely." This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Snowfall winding down in Milwaukee and Wisconsin. Now the bitter cold.
