Reignited fireworks blaze brought under control

7:11 am on 10 December 2023
Emergency operations centre in Westport.

Further fire crews will be back at the scene of a Central Otago fire on Sunday morning. File photo. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon

A fire crew remained overnight at a fire brought under control on Saturday on a steep hillside above Lake Dunstan in Central Otago.

Fire and Emergency (FENZ) incident controller Bobby Lamont said fire-fighters from local volunteer brigades and helicopter pilots did a tremendous job in what he called horrific winds to limit the fire to just three hectares.

The pilots were armed with monsoon buckets.

The fire, near the Clyde Dam, reignited late afternoon (4.20pm) from an earlier fire started by fireworks on Friday night.

Further fire crews will be back Sunday morning.

Elsewhere in the South Island, fire-fighters were continuing to fight fires at Templeton in the Selwyn District and Glenham in Southland.

FENZ said anyone considering lighting a fire outdoors should check online to see if any restrictions were in place.