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Fire crews battling a brush fire that bit two kilometers of trees in its first hour in Mackenzie Country are preparing to duck for a few days as nearby homes are evacuated.
South Canterbury Rural Fire Chief Officer Rob Hands said that just after 1:00 p.m. M., An incident management team would be stationed at the fire site on Mt Cook Rd (State Highway 80), near Twizel, for a few days to secure it. is ” completely ” extinct.
Hands said the fire ignited in the bed of a Twizel river and spread to a large area of forest around 11:25 a.m. M. From Sunday, and continues to burn.
A New Zealand Fire and Emergency spokesperson said residents were being evacuated from their homes on Twizel and Mt Cook Rd is closed to the public as four helicopters and fire crews from six stations tried to extinguish the fire.
Supplied / Stuff
A bush fire is out of control on Mt Cook Rd.
The fire “traveled fast” and reached two kilometers in size in an hour, towards the Dusky Trail.
The Burkes Pass, Omarama, Otematata, Lake Tekapo, Twizel and Timaru brigades were called in to fight the blaze.
The spokesperson said the fire was spreading rapidly due to high winds.
MetService issued a strong wind watch for Canterbury High Country on Sunday, valid for 42 hours until 3 a.m. Tuesday, forecasting that northwesterly winds may approach strong gales in exposed locations.
