Fire breaks out near Picton airport

Emergency crews are responding to the fire.

Crews from Fire and Emergency are responding to a fire in a forestry block near Picton Airport, Koromiko.

Three helicopters are fighting the fire south of Picton.

Fire and Emergency has confirmed a blaze in a hilly, pinetree plantation at Korimako, near the Picton airport.

Spokesperson, Lyn Crosson, said on arrival, the fire covered 100m by 30m.

She said four fire crews from the surrounding area were fighting it, as well as helicopters.

A lack of rain in the South Island has left rural areas tinder dry.

A second fire in the Tasman district broke out yesterday and sent 97 families fleeing their properties.

Yellow and brown tinder-dry grass stretches as far as they eye can see in Redwood Valley where residents were evacuated yesterday.

Brian Baxter was one the 97 properties evacuated on Wednesday afternoon when a fire broke out near the Moutere Hill.

It was de ja vu for many of them who also had to evacuate when the Pigeon Valley fire blazed through the valleys around three weeks ago.

Baxter was evacuated from his home for 16 nights.

"17 nights if you count last night," he said.

He'd been staying in his caravan and his dog Monty had a few different homes over the past couple of weeks but had readjusted well.

he Moutere fire broke out yesterday afternoon about 1 kilometre away from the Moutere Hill, near the Upper Moutere Highway.

The blaze is now contained and 4 fire crews are continuing to work on dampening it.
Baxter pointed out the charred trees about three kilometres in the distance from his property, where the fire had been yesterday.

The fire break that had been dug out and helped to quickly contain the fire could be seen tattooed into the ridge of the hill.

He said it was "definitely" the driest conditions had been. Many other residents agreed – with one saying they couldn't remember it being like this since the 1970's.