The Otago Rural Fire Authority is seeking to recover all costs associated with fighting the major blaze near Waldronville at the weekend.
Hundreds of people watched two helicopters with monsoon buckets and five fire appliances fight the raging vegetation fire which burned about 5ha of scrub next to the Otago Pistol Club's shooting range on Sunday night.
The fire was believed to have started in tyres but the cause has yet to be determined.
Otago Rural Fire investigator Graeme Still could not give a precise cost at this stage, but said it could be in the thousands of dollars.
''We had two helicopters on site and numerous firefighters. It's expensive.''
Firefighters battled a large scrub fire near the gun club in November last year.
Rural fire investigators believed that blaze was caused by a group of teenagers with fireworks, and have pursued them for costs associated with fighting the fire.
He could not say how much the rural fire authority sought because it was still before the Dunedin District Court.
Mr Still spent yesterday scanning the scorched remains of the scrub land for a cause of Sunday's blaze but said it was too early to say what caused the fire.
He believed a clearer picture would emerge later this week.
Many people still had to be interviewed, he said.
''I can't predetermine things. I have to have a good look.
''It's probably started by human influence, to be fair, but it is a possibility it could have been started by a lightning strike.
''What we do is eliminate the possible causes - that's how we come to an answer.
''It's suspicious and we're looking into it. That's all I can say.''
