Huge burning glow in the sky at uncontrolled fire near Aoraki/Mt Cook

The fire seen over Lake Pukaki, on Monday night. Photo / Nate McKinnon, RNZ

From RNZ

Firefighters are still battling to slow a huge scrub fire burning since Sunday in Mackenzie Country, but bad weather expected overnight may have helped their efforts.

Snow and rain were predicted to hit the area overnight, bringing more moisture to dampen the flammable materials in the fire's path and help those on the frontline trying to control the blaze.

By late Monday, the fire near Lake Pukaki had burnt through around 3500 hectares of mostly wilding pines, and through the night it continued to create a red glow that could be seen for many kilometres.

Members of the Alford Forest Rural Volunteer Fire Force near the scrub fire at Pukaki. Photo / Supplied

Mackenzie Emergency Operations Centre spokesperson Chris Clarke said an expected drop in high winds, plummeting temperatures and forecast rain and snow that was expected to set in on Monday night should help throw the balance back towards the firefighters.

"Those high winds have certainly dropped a wee bit [through Monday evening] the forecast ... there may be some rain, even a little bit of snow, which is not good news to most people, but great news to people fighting a fire."

The scrub fire broke out on the access road to Mt Cook near Twizel. Photo / Martin MacDonald

The Pukaki Scientific Reserve has been extensively damaged by the flames.

According to a report from Landcare Research, the shrubland at Pukaki Scientific Reserve is the only home of a nationally endangered moth.

However, Fire and Emergency says despite the damage to the reserve, good progress was made on Monday in efforts to control the fire and defend property and structures in its path.

One-hundred-and-fifty firefighters were working at the scene on Monday, with equipment including 18 helicopters, two planes and five diggers. Another 25 support people were also based in Twizel.