Firefighters would keep a watch on several properties across Otago and Southland, but only a fire at a forestry block in the Mackenzie district remained a concern for southern firefighters yesterday evening, a Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) spokeswoman said.
The fire in Fairlie, which continued to burn yesterday, started in forestry slash piles on Sunday before it jumped into a plantation and threatened several buildings.
Crews remained active at the fire yesterday, working to keep it contained, the spokeswoman said.
Excavators at the scene opened windrows to access the fire.
Shortly after 6pm the fire was handed to an overnight crew. Fire crews planned to return and reassess their options at 10am today, she said.
Yesterday’s relative calm came a day after winds gusting over 100kmh spread flames rapidly in hot, dry conditions across the lower South Island on Sunday.
At one point nearly 40 fire appliances and tankers were involved in the fight across the region.
With five ongoing significant fires in Otago and Southland, Fenz activated its regional co-ordination centre in Dunedin to ensure resources were not spread too thinly.
By 6pm yesterday fire crews had left all five fires, two in the Waimea Valley, and one at Dacre, in Southland, and at Owaka and Bucklands Crossing, in Otago, she said.
