- The Tiwai Peninsula fire remains at 1,200 hectares, with no overnight growth.
- Fire crews, helicopters, and forestry teams are tackling remaining hotspots today.
- Investigators are on-site to determine the cause of the fire.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand crews returned to the Tiwai Peninsula in Invercargill today as they continue efforts to fully control the large vegetation fire. The fire, which spread to 1,200 hectares in hot and windy conditions yesterday, did not grow further overnight.
Related:
Fire Crews Battle Large Blaze Near Tiwai Point
Tiwai Peninsula Vegetation Fire Update
Full Scale Dunedin Hospital Plans Back On Track
Incident Controller Hamish Angus confirmed that 35 firefighters are working on-site today, supported by five helicopters, the Department of Conservation, and local forestry companies. "Our focus today is on knocking out those remaining hotspots," he said.
Weather conditions remain a concern, with strong winds expected in the coming days. "We’re expecting winds to pick up over the next few days, so we want to make sure there’s nothing left here that could get the fire under way again," Angus explained.
The cause of the fire is still unknown, and fire investigators have been deployed to the site today to determine what started it. "It’s too early to say what caused the fire, but we will have fire investigators here today looking into that," Angus added.
Fire crews will continue their work throughout the day, ensuring the fire remains contained and does not reignite due to changing weather conditions.