Otago fire likely to cost $500,000

A suspicious fire which raged through about 25ha of pine forest in north Otago is expected to cost the owner around half a million dollars.

The fire, in the Herbert Forest south of Oamaru, started about midnight on Friday.

The Waitaki Rural Fire Service began fighting the blaze at first light yesterday, using nine helicopters and two fixed-wing aircraft.

Firefighters brought the fire under control by yesterday afternoon and today have been dampening it down and tackling hot spots.

The fire was contained to 25-30ha of the 4500ha forest, owned by forestry company Blakely Pacific.

Blakely Pacific South Island forest and marketing manager Andrew Cocking said the damage had been contained by a stirling effort from all involved.

"It had the potential to be absolutely huge," he said.

"But there has been a big effort from a lot of people."

Mr Cocking said about 30 people were still at the site this afternoon, and a crew would monitor the area overnight.

Firefighters were working with bulldozers and excavators to dig out the hot spots and were concentrating on an area that flared up overnight.

Mr Cocking said he estimated the cost of the fire, including the lost trees and the clean-up bill, to be around half a million dollars.

An investigation into the cause of the fire would begin on Tuesday, but he said it did look suspicious, particularly as it started in the middle of the night.

The only people who would be in the forest at night would be there illegally, he said.

Rural fire manager John Barnes confirmed yesterday that the service were investigating the fire and believed it could have been deliberately lit.

- NZPA