Whanganui River Rd fire almost extinguished, evening showers forecast

Three ground fire crews remain at the fire and a helicopter is on standby. Photo / Lewis Gardner

A large fire which has been burning since Saturday in a pine forest on Whanganui River Rd is almost extinguished.

Deputy principal rural fire officer Gavin Pryce said the fire was completely under control and almost 100 per cent contained.

"With the really good work that the ground crews did yesterday (Monday) we had very little fire activity overnight, so this morning we did a fly over the fire and put ground crews in and continued with the small hot spots," he said.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) was called after the fire broke out near the road near Pungarehu Marae at about 3.30pm on Saturday.

It is located about 4km along the Whanganui River Rd from State Highway 4.

Helicopters are no longer being used but one is on standby if needed.

Three rural fire crews remain with 15 firefighters on the ground.

Pryce said they could be wrapped up later on Tuesday.

Temperatures rose to about 32 degrees on Monday and Tuesday is forecasted for similar heat.

One helicopter remains on standby. Photo / Lewis Gardner

Pryce said the wind was forecasted to be gusty in the afternoon but showers were also forecasted for the evening which will help to extinguish the fire.

A fire investigator was on the scene on Sunday to look for the cause but it is still undetermined.

A temporary 30km speed limit has been put in place along Whanganui River Rd and locals will be able to access or leave their properties through the road's stop-go management for a few minutes every hour.