The cost of the Port Hills fire in Christchurch is starting to become clear with Fire and Emergency (FENZ) confirming more than $1.6 million was spent on helicopters alone last week.
A spokesperson estimated they would have a bill of $1,665,000 for helicopter hours between Wednesday and Sunday inclusive.
The choppers formed a key part of their response, allowing them to react quickly and stop the fire spreading.
FENZ has had as many as 15 helicopters in the air at one time over the burn area of 650 hectares.
The cost breakdown includes $190,000 spent on Wednesday, $625,000 spent on Thursday, $500,000 spent on Friday, $220,000 spent on Saturday and $130,000 spent on Sunday.
The full cost is likely to go into the millions as FENZ is still costing the other elements of the firefight.
"There are numerous contractors and suppliers providing services to support the response, as well as all the personnel involved," a spokesperson said.
"Collating information about the cost of each component will be time consuming and our priority at the moment is extinguishing the fire."
About 5mm of rain has now fallen on the fireground, helping firefighters make good progress overnight.
Incident controller Steve Kennedy said his crews are continuing to work with the support of heavy machinery and two helicopters and are now tackling the last of the hotspots.
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