An out-of-control fire in Canterbury has doubled in size to nearly 980 hectares as crews continue their battle to contain it.
One building, the Holloway Lodge - a former Forest Service hut near the peak of Bridge Hill - has been destroyed by the fire.
The blaze was still not contained, Incident Commander Brian Keown said this afternoon, but crews hoped to have it secured by the end of the day.
Keown told Midday Report earlier that firefighters are working to ensure properties remain protected.
"They are not out of the woods but we have got good containment lines around them, and we've got heavy machinery up in that area.
"So they're being worked actively, and I'm hopeful that by the end of the day we'll be able to say that we've got things secure."
Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) were first alerted to the blaze at 4.24am yesterday, and what began as a 2ha fire had by the evening grown to about 535ha, and it has continued to spread today.
Firefighters were hoping to get some much-needed help from Mother Nature today, with cooler temperatures and light showers forecast for the region.
District commander Dave Stackhouse said fire investigators would be at the scene for the next week working with police to work out what caused the blaze. He did not give an estimate on how long that would take, but said they had "reasonably good" indicators of what the cause was.
Keown said crews were being rotated in and out, including both career and volunteer firefighters.
It was hoped firefighters would get get some much-needed help from Mother Nature today, with cooler temperatures and light showers forecast for the region.
Keown earlier detailed the response.
“We have nine helicopters alongside three fixed-wing aircraft attacking the fire from the air, while 15 trucks, tankers and support vehicles are fighting the fire on the ground.
“The fixed-wing aircraft are using retardants to suppress the fire while our crews are working with heavy machinery on the ground.
“Crews are also continuing to protect huts and other structures in the area.”
There were 85 Fire and Emergency personnel on site today, including an Incident Management Team. This was supported by the Region Coordination Centre in Christchurch.
Keown told RNZ's Midday Report programme conditions for firefighters today were "miles better" than yesterday, despite the fire's escalating size.
"We had very strong winds yesterday, variable direction, extreme fire behaviour and conditions that made control of the fire very awkward.
"Today we've got more benign conditions, which has given us the opportunity to really get stuck into it and try and get a good containment line around the outside.
"Nearby properties were "not out of the woods, but we have got a good containment line around them and we've got heavy machinery up in that area."
The blaze did not enter Castle Hill village overnight. However, residents yesterday were encouraged to leave their homes as the fire grew.
Castle Hill was looking to be safe, Keown said this afternoon.
"I'm not saying they're out of the woods, but greatly reduced, given the weather conditions today and the work that's being done right at this moment."
He hoped the blaze would be secure by the end of Friday.
"The winds are a lot lighter than we saw yesterday, and I think we are looking at cooler temperatures that are speeding up and across the country," MetService meteorologist John Law told RNZ's Morning Report programme.
"And we should hopefully see - as we get through towards the afternoon - a bit more in the way of cloud building up and the chance of some showers to come through as well, hopefully helping things be a little bit more containable and a little bit more bearable across the region."
State Highway 73 open
State Highway 73 between Springfield and Arthur's Pass has been reopened after a day-long closure when the fire jumped the road.
An overnight crew of firefighters fought the blaze from SH73, as it was deemed too dangerous to go off the road in the dark.
- ODT Online and RNZ
