A roadblock at the Lee Valley fire on 8 February, 2024. Photo: RNZ / Samantha Gee
Firefighters battling the pine plantation blaze at Lee Valley near Nelson are extending a fire containment line in an effort to protect homes in the area.
A helicopter with a monsoon bucket and 20 ground crew were at Lee Valley today, after the fire broke out on 7 February.
Firefighters were focussing on extinguishing the new hotspots and extending the control perimeter.
Residents who were earlier evacuated, have now been allowed to return, after the 1.2km containment line was built.
But Incident Controller Steve Trigg said the area was still an active fireground and the road was closed, although residents would have monitored access.
The perimeter control line was being extended today and hotspots identified by drones overnight are being damped down, he said.
Trigg said the drones were useful because they could see through the forest canopy.
They had also helped to identify smaller hotspots at two adjacent fires that it was thought were extinguished, he said.