Firefighters expect to be at the scene of a large fire near Mossburn through the night.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) was alerted when a controlled burn at Taylor Rd, on West Dome Station, just north of Mossburn, got away about 3.30pm today.
By early this evening, the fire had burnt nearly 2 hectares of trees and scrub, fanned by westerly winds, while firefighters from across the district and two helicopters with monsoon buckets battled to extinguish it, a Fenz spokesman said.
About 40 firefighters were at the scene at the height of the fire, from Fenz stations in Mossburn, Lumsden, Balfour, Te Anau, Athol, Garston, Riversdale, aided by rural fire crews, he said.
Some crews had since been stood down, but others would remain overnight to monitor the scene, he said.
No property had been damaged or threatened by the fire, he added.
