Firefighters made “good progress” containing the Waipara Fire in North Canterbury today, after high winds overnight caused “some growth” amongst the fire ground.
The North Canterbury forestry fire was first reported on Thursday.
Fire and Emergency incident commander Brian Keown said rain and reduced wind speeds helped firefighters “make good progress” on containing the fire on Tuesday.
He said multiple firefighting crews supported by heavy machinery, water tankers and five helicopters worked on the fire ground.
“The weather conditions enabled crews to fight the fire strategically, rather than having to react to fire driven by the wind.”
Crews and a drone team would remain onsite overnight to monitor the fire area and provide updated mapping and intelligence.
“From tomorrow morning, there will be multiple crews supported by heavy machinery and two helicopters onsite.”
A prohibited fire season was declared yesterday for the whole Canterbury District.
The Canterbury boundary runs from north of the Rakaia River to just north of the Clarence River.
The prohibited fire season means a total ban on outdoor fires, and all previously granted fire permits are no longer valid.
“We ask that anyone who has burned outdoor fires recently to check and ensure your fires are extinguished, and if there are any concerns, please call 111 immediately,” said Keown.
“We would like to thank the greater Waipara community for their continued help and support.”
Keown thanked the children from the local school in particular, who delivered the firefighters handmade cards to say thank you for all their hard work.
