Seven helicopters called to fight Central Otago fire

At 4.40pm today the Kingston state highway fire, which was first detected on Sunday had escalated to a major burn with a fire front 2km in width and a burn area of approximately 500 hectares.

“Seven helicopters have been called in to fight the fire, which has swept up into the Nevis Range and has possibly crossed over into the Central Otago District,” Queenstown Lakes District Council principal rural fire chief Gordon Bailey said.

Two further smaller fires were also being fought by ground crews and a further two helicopters were on standby.

“We are doing our best to contain the fire but given the hot, dry and windy conditions being experienced we are starting to plan for the next couple of days,” Mr Bailey said.

The fire had seen the Kingston state highway temporarily closed with traffic backing up.

“As the smoke permits we are allowing traffic through although people travelling on this route should plan for delays,” Mr Bailey said.