Fire crews to dampen Rowallan hotspots

Four fire crews will today return to the scene of a large blaze that ripped through regenerated forest near Tuatapere at the weekend.

Southern Rural Fire Authority incident controller Elton Smith said four rural fire crews would return to the scene of the 198ha blaze as efforts to dampen down hotspots continued.

Ground crews would use water from three tankers to "black out" hotspots along the firebreaks to prevent possible flare-ups, he said.

Weather permitting, he was confident fire crews would finish their work by week's end.

The fire broke out about 4.40pm on Saturday and, fanned by strong winds, spread quickly because of tinder-dry conditions and the dense nature of the vegetation. The main fire spread over 194ha while flying embers caused a further 4ha of spot fires.

Mr Smith estimated the cost of fighting the blaze so far was more than $100,000.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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