The Waipara wildfire did not spread overnight. Photo / Fire and Emergency Services
A wildfire in North Canterbury is blazing on, with concerns for further spread amid wind changes forecast for this afternoon.
The fire in the Waipara forestry block started last Thursday.
High winds and warm weather pushed the fire past its containment lines overnight on Monday – when the blaze doubled in size from 40ha to 85ha.
Fire and Emergency incident controller Brian Keown said although winds are meant to be dropping off, there is still cause for concern this afternoon.
“Conditions today are still windy and not as strong as last night, but we’re expecting a southerly change mid-afternoon and that will test some of the containment lines we’ve got in place,” he said.
“We’re working hard to make sure they’re as robust as they can be.”
MetService forecasts winds will shift from a northwesterly this morning, to a south/southwesterly later this afternoon.
The southerly is expected to be light, with an average speed of 10km/h. There is also some light rain in the forecast, which Keown said may actually hinder their efforts.
”The rain is not likely to be enough to be helpful but will make navigating around the fireground more difficult,” Keown said.
There were concerns the fire would grow further last night, with extremely high winds.
“It did not grow at all last night, so I’m very pleased about that,” he said.
It was hoped Fire and Emergency Services would be able to put it out over the weekend, however windy conditions have continued to hamper their efforts.
Dozens of firefighters will remain on site and for the remainder of the week while they try to get the blaze under control.
“We’ve got 75 personnel on site supported by two dozers, diggers and tankers, five helicopters as required,” said Keown.
Keown said while the fire is burning well away from properties, an evacuation plan is in place if needed.
Fire and Emergency declared a prohibited fire season for the Canterbury District. It said all previously granted fire permits were no longer valid.
The ban will run for a week, until midnight September 9.
Keown is urging anyone who has been burning off recently to ensure the burns are fully extinguished.
Katie Oliver is a Christchurch-based Multimedia Journalist and breaking news reporter.
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