Firefighters are working to extinguish hotspots after a large grass fire broke out in Upper Waitaki earlier today.
Four helicopters and 18 firefighter crews were called to the fire, near Lake Benmore, this afternoon.
The fire had been estimated to be 1km by 50m after starting in "stubble around late this afternoon, burning through paddocks and then moving up a hill into scrub."
Exactly one week ago, Fire and Emergency warned the area was "primed and ready to burn" after extremely hot and dry conditions.
In an update just before 8pm, a FENZ spokesperson said firefighters are now mopping up hotspots after containing the perimeter of a four-hectare fire.
Incident controller Michael Harrison said "crews are mindful of the need to fully extinguish hot spots tonight as winds are forecast to increase in the area at the end of the week.
"Crews will also be back in the morning to continue this important work to prevent this fire flaring up again when the fire danger increases."
Earlier, a FENZ spokesperson said they were alerted to the grass fire at 3.42pm and the first crews from Twizel arrived at the scene soon afterwards.
They said no homes or structures are reported to have been damaged or to be at risk.
Volunteer fire brigades from Twizel, Omarama, Otematata and Lake Tekapo responded.
Earlier, Fire and Emergency assistant commander Jason Sarich said the initial reports suggested that the fire had been sparked by farm machinery but there would be further discussions with the landowner to confirm the circumstances.
He has asked all farmers and contractors in the area to be aware of the high fire danger because routine activities could cause a spark that would easily set the grass on fire.
"If machinery work couldn’t be deferred then it was best to carry out operations in the early morning, when the temperature is lower and the humidity was higher," said a FENZ spokesperson.
"The whole of the Mackenzie Basin, including the Upper Waitaki area where the fire started, is in a prohibited fire season, which means there is a complete ban on outdoor fires."
SHARE ME