The large scrub fire that burned through 140ha at Skippers Canyon was not active overnight but could flare up in wind today, firefighters say.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand crew discusses the plan for managing the Skippers Canyon fire today. Photo: FENZ / Supplied by Queenstown Lakes District Council
Six helicopter crews and seven ground crews battled the Central Otago blaze which got out of control about 2.45pm yesterday, destroying a vehicle and a woodshed.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand crew discusses the plan for managing the Skippers Canyon fire today. Photo: FENZ / Supplied by Queenstown Lakes District Council
Deputy Principal Rural Fire Officer for Central Otago Mark Mawhinney said helicopters had flown back over the canyon this morning and reported no further activity on the fire line overnight.
He said more ground crews would be checking for hot spots today, and would be focused on keeping the area cool ahead of stronger winds predicted this afternoon.
"We traditionally tend to see fire activity pick up in afternoons once the grass has had a chance to dry. Because of this, our primary aim this morning is to ensure the ground is nice and cold to reduce the chance of the fire getting away from us in the afternoon," he said.
He said the fire started from a burnoff that went out of control, and reminded those lighting burnoffs to be extremely careful.
"Really put a lot of thought into the planning process of lighting up - what's the weather doing, how long will this fire burn for, how can I put it out - thoughts around that I think would go a long way to reduce the numbers of fires that are escaping."
Skippers Road reopened today, but road users were asked to only use it if necessary because of the large number of emergency vehicles in the area.