A scrub fire fuelled by strong northerly winds last night burnt through more than 1100ha of conservation land near Bluff, and was posing a threat to the power supply to the Tiwai Pt aluminium smelter.
Firefighters and Department of Conservation staff expected a late night as the fire showed no signs of burning out.
No homes or buildings were threatened by the blaze, which leapt from a farm into a Department of Conservation (DoC) reserve.
A major concern for firefighters was the effect of smoke on the New Zealand Aluminium Smelter's powerlines.
The company's external affairs co-ordinator, David Bloor, said soot had the potential to render insulators on the pylons that brought electricity to the plant useless, leaving the pylons live.
Smoke from the fire could be seen as far away as Stewart Island as the fire burned throughout yesterday.
Late in the afternoon it edged towards Tiwai Bridge connecting to the smelter.
By 7.30pm, Southern Rural Fire District principal rural fire officer Mike Grant said the fire had come close to the bridge.
"We were very concerned about the power supply and that it might 'arc' out," Mr Grant said.
Fire crews evacuated people from Tiwai area as a safety precaution.
The bulk of the firefighting was done by six helicopters with monsoon buckets because of the fire's inaccessibility.
- NZPA
Fire threatens Tiwai power
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