Firefighters are heading back to Queenstown’s Walter Peak as a huge, uncontrolled scrub fire enters its third day.
The blaze broke out near Walter Peak Station on Tuesday afternoon. The fire had burned through 1400ha of tussock and scrub on the southern shores of Lake Wakatipu near Queenstown, Fire and Emergency NZ said yesterday evening.
FENZ District Commander Blair Kiely told Breakfast the region had seen some rain overnight, which was good news for the crews en route to fight the fire.
"We're really hopeful that the weather conditions, a bit of rain around, are going to help," he said. "Cooler temperatures will help as well."
A combination of ground crews and air units would be on site this morning, focusing mainly on the area around Walter Peak Station.
"We're pretty confident that the homestead is in a good spot now, and the rest we're just sort of monitoring."
Kiely said the biggest challenge remained the area's topography.
"There's a lot of fuels – tussocks and grasses up high – that are burning really well."
While there had been a "massive reduction" in smoke over the last two days, Kiley said residents should keep their windows closed and avoid using air conditioning.
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