Fires difficult to extinguish

A fire which started in a forestry block in South Wairarapa at the start of this week is still being mopped up by firefighters.

The fire started in a pine forest on Pahaoa Rd, east of Martinborough, on Monday.

It followed a string of forest fires around Wairarapa.

Last month, firefighters battled a 5ha blaze in a roadside pine plantation on Whangaehu Valley Rd, near Masterton, and an 8ha forest fire on Ngahape Rd, rural Masterton.

Principal rural fire officer Phill Wishnowsky confirmed that fire fighters were still on site yesterday.

"We're still working on mopping up the hot spots and making sure it doesn't get away on us," he said.

He said an infrared camera would be on site today to see how many hot spots there were, which may help determine how long fire fighters need to remain in the forest.

"We could be going until there's a decent amount of rain," he said.

Mr Wishnowsky confirmed 122 acres had been burnt in the Pahaoa Rd fire.

He said the fire risk across the whole region was still high.