More than 2500 people have had to leave their homes as New Zealand’s largest forest fire in 64 years continues to burn for a fifth day near Nelson on the South Island.
Over 100 personnel worked throughout the night to fight the fire that now covers 2100 hectares with a 27-kilometre perimeter, Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) regional manager John Sutton told media on Saturday.
Smoke rises from a wildfire coming over the ridge behind a residential area in Wakefield, New Zealand, on Friday. Credit:AP
The fire continued to burn actively overnight and is still not in control.
Civil Defence incident controller Roger Ball told media a threat to life and property remained.
«The situation is changeable. It is dynamic,» he warned.
A contingent of 22 helicopters is also fighting the country’s largest forest fire since a blaze in Canterbury in 1955.
AAP
