Six helicopters and two planes are battling a large vegetation fire in Otago in the South Island that is expected to burn for days to come.
Incident controller Bobby Lamont said crews were alerted to the out-of-control burn-off near Tokarahi, south of Duntroon, around midday yesterday.
”Strong winds fanned the fire overnight and it has now burnt through approximately 400 hectares of farmland, tussock and scrub,” he said.
The fire is not yet contained or controlled, with firefighters having to be airlifted in because much of the fire ground is not easily accessed by emergency vehicles.
”Winds are forecast to gust up to 100km/h here today. We anticipate we’ll be at this fire for some days,” Lamont said.