A spike in homicides in Auckland City is nothing to be worried about says Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson, as a new meth capital of the country is crowned and wild weather approcahes.
A large vegetation fire in Otago in the South Island is finally contained, with six helicopters, two planes and ground crews battling the blaze.
Incident controller Bobby Lamont said crews were alerted to the out-of-control burn-off near Tokarahi, south of Duntroon, around midday yesterday.
”Strong winds fanned the fire overnight and it has now burnt through approximately 400 hectares of farmland, tussock and scrub,” he said.
Firefighters had to be airlifted in because much of the fire ground is not easily accessed by emergency vehicles.
”Winds are forecast to gust up to 100km/h here today. We anticipate we’ll be at this fire for some days,” Lamont said.
Fire crews are working to control a large vegetation fire near Tokarahi in Otago. Image / Google
A command unit has been set up near the fire ground.
”It’s very dry in the Waitaki Valley and Central Otago and we ask anyone considering lighting an outdoor fire to check the weather and wind forecast before they proceed,” Lamont said.
At around 12:30pm, the conditions turned, with rain aiding the firefighters’ efforts.
“That rain continued for about an hour which, along with the effort of the firefighters in the aircraft, put the fire down quite significantly,” said Lamont.
There are no active hot spots or fires on the ground currently.
Lamont said with the fireground now inactive, they’re “quite happy to leave the landowner to monitor the fireground”.
“We’ll be back at 6.30 tomorrow morning with more crews to walk the 19-kilometre perimeter to make sure we don’t have any hotspots,” he said.
A Fire and Emergency spokesman said when crews arrived yesterday there was a “considerable amount of smoke” and a fire front about 500m wide that was slowly burning back up a hill.
Three helicopters battled the fire yesterday, with crews working all day. Teams also remained on-site overnight.
More resources were called in this morning, the spokesman said.
There were no reports of the fire threatening any homes, he said.
Lamont said he wants to express his appreciation for the support of the local community, and those who helped put the fire out.
