Matakana Fire Update #5

25 December 2023

Firefighting is continuing on Matakana Island, where a vegetation fire has been burning in scrub and forestry slash since Saturday night.

The fire was contained last night and firefighters worked through the night, supported by heavy machinery, to consolidate the firebreaks.

Incident Controller Jeff Maunder said work would continue to reinforce the containment lines today, with three helicopters equipped with monsoon buckets supporting over 30 firefighters, and an excavator.

“The fire is 100 percent contained but there are some weak points we are working on. We are also identifying dangerous trees and making them safe, and continuing to push the fire away from the containment lines. It’s a reasonably long and arduous task, dealing with deep-seated fires in heavy fuels.”

Tonight, Fire and Emergency will be using drones with infrared equipment to identify hotspots that will be targeted in tomorrow’s firefighting.