Bridge Hill fire update #9

6 December 2024

Fire and Emergency New Zealand will have seven crews monitoring the Bridge Hill fire tonight.

Incident Commander Brian Keown says winds are forecast to strengthen overnight, so the crews will be kept busy.

"It's important we keep on top of the fire tonight as we are close to containing it.

"We hope to have containment completed tomorrow before the extreme fire danger day on Sunday."

Saturday will see an increase in ground crews and a decrease in aerial support to five helicopters and no fixed-wing aircraft. 

"There will be more work to do on the ground tomorrow than from the air.

"All structures in the fire ground have retardant lines laid around the properties so at this stage we do no require the fixed-wing aircraft to be operating, but they are still available should we need them."

Brian Keown thanked all the firefighters and support staff for their efforts on the fire so far, and for locals and visitors to the area for their patience.

"Our team have put in a lot of hard work to get this point with the fire.

"The local community have also been a great assistance by enacting their emergency plans, and as we know SH73 is an important road, so we thank the public for their patience both while the road was closed and for the controlled access once it was reopened."

This is the final update for tonight unless significant developments occur. The next update will be approximately 8am tomorrow morning.