Northland Fire and Emergency says containment lines in a large scrub fire in the Far North held overnight and no houses have been damaged.
Northland Kaimaumau fire as seen from Reef Lodge Motel in Rangiputa. Photo: Supplied / Reef Lodge Motel
The 2067-hectare fire north of Kaitaia is threatening to reach the coastal village of Kaimaumau, where residents have been evacuated.
"Things are improving for us" - FENZ district manager
FENZ district manager Wipari Henwood told Morning Report although the fire remains out of control, they expect to have it encircled today.
"Our containment lines around the village of Kaimaumau held yesterday. Today we're reinforcing those lines because we've got another bad day of fire behaviour and weather so we're hoping for the same sort of outcome," Henwood said.
He said there is still a lot of vegetation within the perimeter which the fire is likely to burn through over a couple of days.
"Once we tidy up or lock in the north, it will be in the box but there is a lot of vegetation inside the middle that we can't get to and that the fire will slowly consume over a couple of days."
The wind is predicted to change again today, making things even more challenging for the fire crews.
"The wind's swinging from the north-east to the north-west those weather conditions push it further inland and towards the small village of Kaimaumau so those are against us today."
However, tomorrow's forecast is more favourable with a westerly wind expected to push the fire back towards sea.
"Things are improving for us if we can just hold it together for today," Henwood said.
FENZ will today fight the blaze with the help of 11 helicopters, three bulldozers and excavators, three water tankers, two structural protection crews and three rural firefighting crews.
Henwood said crews will likely be onsite for weeks dampening down hotspots.
Although no buildings have been damaged so far, residents are likely to be away from their homes for at least one more night.
Gerald Bennebroek and his wife Agnes were evacuated from their house, and are staying with friends.
Gerald said it's possible he will never see his home again.
"We're feeling quite distressed about that and wondering how things are at home, are we going to go home to melted burnt stuff? Are we generally going to be driven out of our home because we can't live there anymore?" Bennebroek said.
Kaimaumau resident Amanda McManus is expecting to spend a third night sleeping in her van at a school after evacuating from the path of the fire.
McManus, who moved to the area just three weeks ago, said people are starting to feel uneasy as Christmas approaches.
"Everyone's starting to get a bit anxious now because it's been a few days but no loss of life is the best thing"," McManus said.
She said it seems hopeful that residents will be able to return to their homes on Wednesday.