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The people that first raised the alarm - and the firefighters that raced to their rescue - have opened up about how the Lake Ōhau fire took hold.
About 40 houses in the small community were destroyed or badly damaged - with some residents allowed through fire cordons to collect belongings today.
The fire comes a month after a blaze at nearby Lake Pukaki - and firefighters say the region's not of the woods yet, as fire season gets away.
Checkpoint cameraman Simon Rogers and reporter Tess Brunton are in Twizel.