Firefighters have been kept busy with blazes around the country, and warn it could take weeks to completely extinguish a massive forest fire in Marlborough.
A team of 60 firefighters yesterday were still tackling a fire that ripped across about 400ha of farmland near Onamalutu, in southern Marlborough, after it broke out on Tuesday.
Richard 'Mac' McNamara, the regional rural fire general manager, said calmer weather conditions had helped firefighters to make property and homes in the area safe.
Helicopters were again used to dampen the blaze, as well as firefighters on the ground digging away embers.
"We're securing gains around property and homes. And the helicopters will be back on and used when needed to control significant portions of the perimeter as we move round the whole fire," Mr McNamara said.
"Hopefully we'll get that containment and control in place."
The degree of damage to vegetation varied -- some areas were "burned right through" but others were not so badly affected.
Most of the burned area was forest, mainly some immature pines but also mature pines and eucalyptus. However, scrub and dry grass on the valley floor were also scorched.
Mr McNamara said it could take weeks to totally extinguish the fire, and hotspots in the area remained combustible.
"There's going to be a lot of heat and energy left in this fire ... All we need is for wind and temperatures to come back up and we'll be away again."
Meanwhile, a team of rural firefighters have been battling the elements to control a blaze which took out 10ha of Wairarapa scrub, bush and farmland yesterday.
Wairarapa rural fire crews were called to a vegetation fire on White Rock Rd, 8km south east of Tutururmuri in South Wairarapa, shortly after 8pm on Thursday.
With winds too strong for helicopter support, about 20 firefighters worked to keep the flames under control throughout the night, and were still hard at work putting out hot spots about 3pm yesterday.
"It was a huge, potentially very dangerous job -- but the guys managed to keep it contained and under control," regional rural fire chief Phill Wishnowsky said.
"They did a marvellous job in some very trying conditions.
"With the combination of the dry weather we've been having, the gale force winds, and the remote location, things could easily have been worse."
Mr Wishnowsky said the fire was started by wind blowing vegetation on to nearby powerlines.
In the dry conditions, it would have taken "just one little spark" to start an inferno.
Further north, a large inferno engulfed a Tauranga business yesterday and shut access to part of the central business district.
Outdoor power equipment supplier Action Equipment on Glasgow St went up in flames yesterday morning, and owner Richard Ive said it could cost $2 million to replace the severely damaged building.
Vehicle access to Glasgow St was closed off for most of the day and Elizabeth St was closed between Takitumu Dr and Cameron Rd.
The cause of the fire was yet to be determined, but Tauranga senior station officer Kevin Cowper said there was no reason to believe it was suspicious.
No one was hurt in the fire.
By NZME. staff and regionals
