Ahipara fire '95 percent contained', focus now on perimeter hot spots

The large bushfire near the Far North township of Ahipara is 95 percent contained, Fire and Emergency says.

Twenty-eight firefighters are still working on the fire, which caused the evacuation of 100 homes on Tuesday.

All residents are now back in their houses, while ground crews work on hot spots.

Incident controller Rory Renwick said in a Facebook video that fire fighters were having to cut tracks through the bush to get to the hot spots on very steep terrain.

Hot spots on the perimeter caused the most concern, as there was a risk they could break away into unburnt areas and cause the fire to spread, Renwick said.

"...So that's what the crews will focus on for the next few days. It's looking pretty positive at the moment but there is a lot of work to do - a big perimeter with lots of hot spots."

The fire in the historic Ahipara Gumfields Historic Reserve is still 56 hectares in size but mostly under control. Helicopters are on stand-by and a fire investigator is at the scene.