Fire & Emergency New Zealand

Port Hills fire update #23

Port Hills fire update #23

Incoming Incident Controller Dave Key say crews on the ground at Port Hills will spend today dampening hotspots.

Drone footage last night identified 20 hotspots and 70 firefighters will work on turning over and extinguishing these today. There will be no helicopters or aircraft assisting the team on the ground today.

Dave Key says crews will also begin to demobilise equipment from the incident ground as progress continues to be made.

"It’s amazing to see the change across the incident ground over the last few days. This is thanks to the countless hours put in from our crews since last Wednesday.

"Today we have good conditions for continuing with our hard work ahead of the forecasted higher temperatures this weekend."

Dave Key says the fire risk remains extremely high and reminds people to stay very aware about the work they do during the day. Hot-work or spark-generating work, which includes mowing lawns, should be done earlier in the day when it is cooler.