Fire was suspicious

Canvastown fire

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Helicopters prevent the fire from moving across State Highway 6

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A dark ute is being sought in connection with a suspicious forest fire which forced the evacuation of about 40 people near Canvastown last night.

Marlborough South deputy principal fire officer John Foley said the ute was possibly a double cab 4WD, with a noisy muffler.

It was seen near where the fire started, about 5km on the Nelson side of Canvastown, at about 10pm.

Mr Foley said he was ''pretty happy'' the fire had not been ignited by a near by electric fence, and he had all but ruled out nearby powerlines.

''It's certainly looking suspicious at this stage, but until we finish the investigation we are not going to be able to totally determine the cause.''

''It will take a day or so to narrow it right down.''

- The Marlborough Express

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