Fire crews are confident about today's weather conditions as they continue to tackle the major blaze at Kaimaumau, in the Far North.
The Kaimaumau fire as seen from Reef Lodge Motel in Rangiputa on 20 December. Photo: Supplied / Reef Lodge Motel
It has been burning for 19 days and has torched 2400 hectares of bush, scrub, wetland and dune vegetation but buildings in the seaside village have been spared so far.
Firefighters have been working around-the-clock in hot, dry conditions and ash has fallen as far as 50km from the fire.
There are 55 firefighters on the scene today.
Incident controller John Sutton said the conditions are as forecast and things are going to plan.
He said south-west winds are not too strong at the moment, but are expected to pick up to about 30km per hour later in the day.
Sutton said crews have done well to stop the fire spreading because the hot, dry conditions increase the spread risk.
The fire is forcing residents to keep their belongings packed up, and car keys at hand.
Residents evacuated for a second time on New Year's Day, after a three-night evacuation just before Christmas.
Villager Bernice Robson still has valuables and essentials ready to go out the door.
"It's been quite difficult really, because even last night I was awake until about 2am and then all of a sudden I thought: 'Ooh I can smell smoke'."
The blaze quickly spread near her home last week during the second evacuation.
"That really freaked me out, I really thought we might have lost our houses then. The neighbour next door said to me: 'You ought to go down there to the point and have a look at the flames, they're huge'."
A mayoral relief fund was established on yesterday to support Kaimaumau residents.
The government announced it will contribute $20,000 towards the fund to support those most affected by the fires.
Minister for Emergency Management Kiri Allan said although no homes had been destroyed in the fire, the events had significant impacts on local residents.
Allan said affected people may be eligible for additional support through the Ministry of Social Development and Ministry for Primary Industries.
MetService is predicting temperatures peaking in the high 20s for the rest of the week in the Kaitāia area, and southerly breezes until Friday, when afternoon or evening showers are also expected.
