Sparks from a broken power line started a fire yesterday in scrub and grass on hill country above Lake Waitaki, despite heavy rain in the area.
The fire was reported about 1am yesterday. The Kurow Fire Brigade and then the Omarama Rural Fire Party were called out.
Waitaki emergency services manager Chris Raine said because it was dark and the fire was in grass and scrub, about 10 fire personnel kept it under observation until it burnt out in the wet ground conditions after covering about 2ha.
Two tankers, a pump unit and a fire chaser all attended.
The Omarama unit stayed in the area overnight to keep watch and deal with any hot spots.
The area had about 25mm of rain leading up to the fire but surprisingly, despite the wet conditions, grass and undergrowth still burnt, Mr Raine said.
The fire was caused after a power line broke in high winds.
