Source: Fire and Emergency New Zealand
Firefighters have continued to make good process on extinguishing the fire at Kirwee on Tuesday.
However, Incident Controller Bryan Keown says the fire is deep seated and burning underground, meaning it will take some time to fully extinguish.
“It is hot, dirty, dangerous work for our crews, so we need to be diligent and methodical with how we carry out this work as the safety of our firefighters is always a priority.
“We have excavators working alongside our crews, including to remove dangerous trees in the area, and we have one helicopter operating with a monsoon bucket as needed.”
Fire breaks are now well established around the fire, Keown says.
The plan for overnight will be similar to Monday night, with ground crews monitoring and patrolling, while a drone team maps the fire and identifies hotspots.
Keown thanked the public for their diligence so far today, with only one other minor vegetation fire reported in the region today.
“But we are not out of the woods yet, with a long, hot afternoon ahead.
“People should continue to exercise extreme caution and put off any potential spark or heat-generating activities until a later date.”
This will be the last update for today unless there are significant developments. The next update is expected to be around 10am tomorrow.
