Fire and Emergency New Zealand crews are continuing to tackle a large fire burning in a forestry block north of Waipara, North Canterbury.
Incident Commander Des Irving said that drone mapping conducted overnight showed the fire has grown to 85 hectares.
FENZ
“The fire is still burning through trees within the forestry block, and we had crews on the ground monitoring the fire overnight,” Irving said.
Efforts to contain the fire will intensify today, with multiple crews on-site working to reestablish containment lines.
These teams will be supported by heavy machinery and five helicopters.
However, strong winds expected this afternoon may create difficult conditions, with the potential for extreme fire behaviour.
Fenz
“With more warm and windy weather forecast for today, we are asking people across Canterbury not to light any fires and to check that old burn piles are fully extinguished,” Irving said.
He also expressed gratitude to the wider Hurunui community for its assistance, highlighting the support of the Waipara Civil Defence Emergency Response team, who prepared breakfast for firefighters this morning.
Crews are expected to remain on the scene throughout the week as efforts continue to bring the blaze under control.
