Firefighters watch on as a helicopter dumps water on a wildfire near Kirwee, Canterbury on 5 February, 2024. Photo: RNZ/Niva Chittock
About 50 firefighters are back targeting hotspot areas of a fire at Kirwee that has burnt through 2km of farmland and pine forest on the banks of the Waimakariri River.
Fire and Emergency said there were no significant flareups overnight and the drone team has now successfully mapped the fire, which started on Sunday night.
A spokesperson said conditions were calm, with minimal wind overnight which helped keep the fire under control.
An incident management team, three excavators, multiple tankers and a helicopter would be supporting the firefighters on Tuesday.
Investigators would also be on site to establish the cause of the fire, said Fire and Emergency.
Incident controller Dave Berry said it would be another very hot, dry day for the crews to be working in.
"The aim for our crews today is to increase the dampened down areas around the permitter and continue to put out hotspots.
"With the temperature set to go over 30 degrees, I again must reiterate the caution needed by everyone in the region when it comes to fire safety."
Fire and Emergency said speed restrictions on the roads around the fire were still in place.
This was for both the safety of motorists driving through smoke, and to keep it's ground crews safe while they worked in and around the fire perimeter, it said.
"Check your burn piles if you have burned in the last few weeks and we ask everyone to ensure they don't carry out any activity that may cause a spark and ignition, such as mowing or working with power tools," warned Berry.
"As always, if anyone sees smoke or fire, please ring 111 immediately. The quicker we can get to a fire, the more chance we have of putting it out before it can spread."
