A fire that has been burning for more than week in wetland at Awarua Bay, south of Invercargill, is now largely under control, according to Fire and Emergency.
However, while it's contained within the 24km perimeter, Incident Controller Julian Tohiariki says flare-ups are still occurring due to the large amount of flammable vegetation that remains in the area.
In order to try and prevent this, crews have been working to establish a control line.
They have also been using hand tools and portable pumps to expose and extinguish hotspots identified by thermal imaging, with support from two helicopters.
Tohiariki is reiterating calls for people to stay well away from the fireground where hazards range from deep ash pits to smouldering peat beds.
"People may be thinking that it’s safe to go there if they don’t see flames and plumes of smoke, but this is still an active fire and our crews need to be able to concentrate on their task rather than worrying about people trying to access their maimais."
Meanwhile, a helicopter and one crew were transferred to work on a nearby fire on Tiwai Road on Sunday morning to ensure it was fully extinguished, before returning to the main fire.
Another blaze, which began as a car fire under a power pylon and spread to dense manuka scrub, was contained thanks to the quick work of Invercargill and Tiwai Point firefighters.
The exact cause of this fire is being investigated.
SHARE ME