SH6 reopens as emergency services patrol and monitor site of fire near Lake Hawea overnight

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Date:
Nov 2, 2018

Police have reopened State Highway 6 (SH6) between Lake Hawea and Wanaka as crews from Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) continue to patrol and monitor the site of a fire in pine trees near Lake Hawea.

New Zealand Transport Authority (NZTA) has stop-go in operation on a short one-lane stretch of SH6 between Lake Hawea Holiday Camp and Capell Avenue – the access road to Lake Hawea township.

Approximately ten residents from six affected households were evacuated at an early stage after the fire began around 5.20pm today. They are staying overnight with family and friends or in accommodation in Wanaka. There are no reports of damage to structures or infrastructure at this stage.

Four FENZ crews with two tankers will remain on-site until approximately 11.00pm to continue protecting structures, extinguishing hotspots and monitoring any flare ups. The crews are laying a foam-protected layer around nearby property as a precaution.

One crew will remain on standby overnight. It is anticipated that they will be relieved by three FENZ crews and two helicopters at around 7.00am tomorrow morning.

Around 5-10ha of pine forest are currently affected on the slopes of Mount Maude to the south-west of Lake Hawea township. The exact starting point and cause of the fire are not yet known.

Five helicopters earlier used monsoon buckets to control the fire while five FENZ crews from Hawea, Wanaka, Luggate, Tarras and Dunstan have been tackling the blaze on the ground.

A further update is expected around 8.30am, Saturday 3 November.

ENDS