Firefighters are expecting to work through the night in their bid to control a blaze at Bucklands Crossing, near Waikouaiti, north of Dunedin.
Ground crews and four helicopters with monsoon buckets were earlier battling the fire, which was burning in several hectares of pine trees in the Mountain Rd area.
The fire was initially reported as being 15ha, but a Fire and Emergency NZ spokesman said this afternoon it was believed to be about 10ha.
This evening a Fenz spokesman said the choppers had been stood down but at least one crew would be working through the night.
No injuries have been reported, and the fire was not thought to be threatening any properties.
Ground crews were deployed to fight the blaze about 1.30pm, and had to contend with gusty winds through the afternoon.
Crews from Waikouaiti, Palmerston, and Waitaki attended.
As a result of the fire, the Dunedin City Council is asking Waikouaiti and Karitane residents to conserve their water usage over the next few days by not using garden hoses and sprinklers.
3 Waters Group Manager Tom Dyer said the DCC was limiting its water intake from the Waikouaiti River to the water treatment plant, to ensure ash in the river didn't get into the water intake.
The intake was "a couple of hundred metres" from the site of the fire.
Mr Dyer said the water treatment plant already had about 3-5 days storage capacity for the area it supplied, so there shouldn’t be any supply issues so long as residents used water conservatively over the weekend.
“This is purely a precautionary measure and the current water supply is still perfectly safe to drink."
