Photo: Supplied / FENZ
A large scrub fire that has been burning since Monday in Waikato is now under control, Fire and Emergency New Zealand has confirmed.
Firefighters remain busy at the at the Whangamarino Wetland near Meremere, with the fire since spreading across 1039 hectares, and 19 kilometres.
Incident controller Mark Tinworth said drones were used to identify hotspots overnight, which are being dampened down today.
He said two fire investigators are on site but it's still too early to determine the cause of the fire.
Road closures are in place on Island Block Road, and Tinworth has warned residents may be affected by smoke and ash.
"We are using air operations to dampen these hotspots down," he said.
Tinworth said people near the fire should contact the Environmental Health Officer for advice before using food, feed or water from storage tanks for drinking as these may have been impacted by smoke and ash from the fire.
"We acknowledge people will be impacted by this fire and have worked hard to limit those impacts," he said.
"Our crews gave it their all to bring this fire under control as quickly as they did, and I want to thank them for that."
The internationally significant Whangamarino Wetland has been extensively damaged by fire in the past.
The wetland is home to a rare orchid not found anywhere else in New Zealand, as well as other unique plants and wildlife.
According to Waikato Regional Council, the 7100 hectare wetland made up of peat bog, vegetation and fen, was the scene of two fires in the 1980s.
Those destroyed 57 percent of the vegetation and left large areas vulnerable to introduced plants, the council's website states.
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