A wildfire in North Canterbury is now “not contained and not controlled”, Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) warns.
Five helicopters are battling the blaze, which has burned since Thursday night, through large swathes of pine forest north of the Waipara township.
The fire had previously been classified as contained – but that is no longer the case.
“The fire has jumped the containment line and is now not contained and not controlled. We are putting all our resources into bringing the fire under control, including five helicopters responding,” Fenz said in a statement released just after 5pm today.
![The fire originated in a North Canterbury pine plantation.](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/BS2Q3E4G35F2HNY6VQWA4Q3THM.jpg?auth=e8e616aa6b9bab634edafcb09a94a9131a003ab99c9ed0b25af7faa574a74d89&width=16&height=11&quality=70&smart=true)