Cool weather comes to aid of firefighters

A helicopter carrying a monsoon bucket heads to fight the fire. Photo / Otago Daily Times

The "weather gods" have smiled on firefighters battling an enormous blaze in forest land 30km northwest of Dunedin, a fire official says.

Nine helicopters yesterday continued their assault on the flames that have razed more than 700ha since Tuesday.

Forest owners Wenita Forestry Products said the strong winds that had been fanning the flames had died down overnight.

"And we currently are going through strong winds, but very cold temperatures, which means things are settling down," said the company's superintendent of operations John Kerr.

"We're finally getting a wee blessing from the gods in regards to the weather."

Ground crews and machinery were able to move in to tackle the flames.

The wind direction had also changed to the southwest, which had pushed the wind from moving over Dunedin city back to over the forestry area, Mr Kerr said.

The National Rural Fire management team had flown to the area and took over operations.

Ideally, firefighters needed the cold conditions to remain for them to take control of the fire, Mr Kerr said.

Fixed-wing planes also dropped fire retardant over the area and residents of five houses were evacuated.

The fire was believed to have started during logging in the Mt Allan forest in Taieri. It then spread to a tree plantation.

Civil Defence and Rural Fire manager Neil Brown said it was one of the largest fires of its type in the region.

More than half of the fire area comprised pines and the remainder was even more flammable - dry, post-harvest debris that was providing fuel for the fire to travel quickly.

- NZPA