Dunedin Fire - Update 4

Residents evacuated from 100 homes due to the Dunedin fire last night are returning home this morning.

The residents were advised they could return at a public meeting at St Clair Golf Club about 8am this morning.

Incident controller Phil Marsh says heavy rain and the endless work the crews have been doing overnight means the fire is now contained, and it is safe for residents to return home.

Specialist crews will be continuing work this morning to ensure there are no flare ups and it’s expected to take several days to mop up.

"The majority of residents were very happy with the response that we’ve given, it’s been extreme weather conditions and we’ve been working really, really hard, so I’m so proud of Fire and Emergency staff and all the other organisations that assisted that have made this as much of a success as it has been," he says.

"Although we feel for the people who have lost industrial buildings, it could have been so much worse and we feel it’s been a really good response."

The nearby Concord School will open for students today.

Phil Marsh says two fire investigators will today go to the scene to start work to determine the cause of the blaze.

He says they are also preparing for downpours.

"The rain has been fantastic, but it’s a double edged sword because we’re expecting over 50mm of rainfall in Dunedin today, so we are probably planning for flooding in the area.

"We’re going one extreme to another."

ENDS

© Scoop Media