Six helicopters are racing to protect two telecommunications towers from a large vegetation fire in northern Southland this evening with severe gales forecast to batter the region from tomorrow.
Fire and Emergency NZ was first called to the blaze on Mount Hamilton near Centre Hill, east of Te Anau, at around 3.37pm on Sunday. A seventh aircraft is directing the air attack from above.
A Fire and Emergency spokesperson said the fire posed no immediate danger.
“There is no risk to the public at the moment.”
No firefighters are tackling the blaze on the ground, because the land is hard to reach. Fire and Emergency crews are in the Centre Hill area monitoring the response.
The fire is burning through short grass rather than scrub, and is not spreading quickly. The spokesperson said strong winds were making it hard to contain.
“The key focus is to protect the telecommunications towers nearby.”
The wind is expected to get worse tomorrow, with Southland among several areas under an orange-level strong wind warning from 8am to 8pm. Severe northwesterly gales gusting up to 120km/h in exposed places are forecast.
Centre Hill is a rural area west of Mossburn, on the state highway to Te Anau.
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