Firefighters finally had a "good" day yesterday, managing to make significant progress in their battle against a large fire in Wenita's Mt Allan Forest northwest of Dunedin.
After three days of aerial assault using 10 helicopters with monsoon buckets and one fixed-wing firefighting aircraft, ground crews were yesterday finally able to make headway against the blaze, which fire authorities said apparently started on Tuesday through friction on a rope used on a log-hauler.
Dunedin City Council deputy principal rural fire officer Robin Jackson said 90 firefighters were at the site yesterday, and that could grow to up to 105 today.
Those numbers would stay until Monday, and the situation would be assessed after that.
The fire crews would spend months putting out "hot spots" left after the fire ripped through the block.
More equipment was on its way, including equipment that could be attached to four-wheel-drive vehicles, which could go off-road to battle hot spots.
Helicopters from outside Dunedin were stood down last night, and only local operators would be used.
The multiservice approach, with firefighters from Dunedin and various organisations across the district, had worked well, Mr Jackson said.
"Working together with the different services - it's worked great."
Earlier in the day, DCC principal rural fire officer Graeme Still had said he was quietly confident the large fire could be contained within its existing boundaries, and his words were borne out.
The firefighters and heavy earth-moving machinery worked alongside helicopter crews to contain the fire, which has destroyed 820ha of trees and over-cut forestry land.
Efforts were being concentrated on controlling any spread past the eastern perimeter towards the DCC water catchment area, and "pinching" the fire: moving material away from the boundaries of the fire into a central contained area.
Wenita Forests chief executive Dave Cormack said the day had been "a whole lot better" than the previous few.
The weather forecast for today was favourable, so he hoped even more progress would be made.
Mr Jackson said while the temperature on the Taieri Plain was between 18degC and 20degC, on the forest block yesterday it was 29degC.
The humidity was 26%, "and that's dangerous".
"It's dry as, up here."
Residents of houses south of the fire were allowed to return home yesterday as the risk of the fire spreading that far diminished, and the Flagstaff/Swampy Summit walking tracks were reopened.
Mr Still said the National Fire Incident team would leave next week, and local and regional fire managers would then resume control of the situation.
