Around 15 people (including two fire crews) will be on scene to monitor the fire overnight.

We are expecting better firefighting conditions and less wind this evening.

Drones will be operating tonight to map hot spots and critical areas for fire crews to focus on tomorrow.

Many residents whose properties were undamaged in the fire were able to return briefly today to collect essential items.

The managed access was provided by Fire and Emergency personnel, working with the Waitaki welfare team to prioritise those with the most urgent needs.

Note: This will be our last update for the evening. We will aim to get another update out by 8am tomorrow.

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