Great Barrier Island fire update

Around 45 volunteer rural firefighters will continue to work on the fire perimeter today. The total fire area remains at 112 hectares.

Overnight a few flare ups did occur, however these were well within the current containment lines and did not spread beyond the existing fire limits. Containment lines were strengthened by the ground crew and thermal imagery was used to identify hotspots.

Weather conditions are favourable for this ground based operation today, however increased winds expected tomorrow and Saturday mean continuing work to strengthen containment lines is a top priority.

No property damage has occurred and the residents that were evacuated from the Okupu Ridge area have returned to their properties.

With the assistance of the Department of Conservation, additional supplies were shipped to the Island overnight.

Bryan Cartelle, Principal Rural Fire Officer would like to reiterate his thanks to the community for all the support during this incident. “The community and volunteers have done an amazing job and this is much appreciated,” he says.

Operations at Claris airport have been affected but Okiwi airfield is still operational; extra support staff are being deployed there.

An independent fire investigator will be on site today to help establish the cause of the fire.

Auckland Council’s Rural Fire team is leading the response with assistance from the Department of Conservation, Fire Service, National Rural Fire Authority and the Police.

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