More than 2500 people have had to leave their homes as New Zealand's largest forest fire in 64 years continues to burn for a fifth day near Nelson on the South Island.
Over 100 personnel worked throughout the night to fight the fire that now covers 2100 hectares with a 27-kilometre perimeter, Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) regional manager John Sutton told media on Saturday.
The fire continued to burn actively overnight and is still not in control.
Civil Defence incident controller Roger Ball told media a threat to life and property remained.
"The situation is changeable. It is dynamic," he warned.
Helicopters drop water on a wildfire coming over a ridge near a residential area, Friday, Feb. 8, 2019, in Wakefield, New Zealand. Source: AAP
A contingent of 22 helicopters is also fighting the country's largest forest fire since a blaze in Canterbury in 1955.
On Friday, 860 homes were evacuated from the town of Wakefield, 25km southwest of Nelson. Earlier in the week, 398 residents were evacuated from Pigeon Valley where the fire started on Tuesday afternoon.
Several other fires also flared up in recent days in the tinder-dry region, but fire services were able to contain those.
Investigators believe that a contractor ploughing a paddock in Pigeon Valley accidentally started the blaze.
