Photo: RNZ / Samantha Gee
A forest fire in Tasman's Lee Valley is burning for a second day as firefighters battle to contain it, and roadblocks remain in place.
Eleven houses were evacuated after three fires broke out in the valley on Wednesday afternoon.
Fire and Emergency said two were extinguished, but the largest had spread to five hectares of maturing pine forest by nightfall.
The fire has burned through nine hectares of pine forest, about 20 kilometres from Nelson.
Fire and Emergency hopes to have it contained by Friday night.
Eleven properties have been evacuated and roads in the area remain closed.
Firefighters will now accompany residents to their properties to take care of animals and other tasks, but they will not be allowed to return home yet.
Fire and Emergency met with residents this afternoon to discuss the plan and progress on fighting the fire.
Steve Trigg Photo: RNZ / Samantha Gee
Fire and Emergency incident controller Steve Trigg said firefighting conditions have been favourable today, with light winds.
An RNZ reporter near the scene earlier today said a big smoke plume was sitting above the valley and helicopters were back in the air from 6.30am. Some appeared to be scouting the perimeter of the fire.
Crews patrolled the area overnight and heavy machinery operators worked through the night to cut firebreaks.
The fire was not yet contained or controlled, Trigg said on Thursday morning.
There were no reports of damage to properties overnight.
A command unit is at the site. Photo: RNZ / Samantha Gee
Two rural crews and the excavator operators were making firebreaks and control lines, while seven helicopters were be tackling the blaze from the air. Two urban crews were protecting buildings.
"Specialist forestry silviculture / firefighting crews would be on the ground, using thermal imaging equipment to identify hotspots and tackling each one with hand tools and hoses. The command unit is also on site and continuously staffed," Trigg said.
People were asked to stay away from the roadblocks so emergency services did not face delays in moving in and out of the area.
Private drones were not to be flown anywhere near the valley as this could ground helicopters or risk mid-air collision, Trigg said.
The civil defence centre at Wanderers' Clubrooms on Lord Rutherford Drive was to reopen at 8am.
Photo: RNZ / Samantha Gee
Lee Valley resident Lorraine O'Meara heard sirens about 4pm on Wednesday and with trees along the boundary of her property went to have a look.
"[It] looked like a little piece of grass fire on the side of the road and of course with the wind blowing up the valley, it just went straight up the hill," she said.
FENZ were onto the fire fast but the fire spread quickly, she said.
"It's so tinder dry, with the winds blowing, something starts and you've got a piece of ash ember that can blow away and there's your next fire and then the next one and it's just exponential.
"Fires can start just by a little spark of rock hitting rock or you know, cigarette butt or even a car backfiring."
Photo: Supplied / Jon Gordon
O'Meara was advised by police to prepare to evacuate.
"We've been here for 26 years and got a lot of animals and weren't going to evacuate but think it must have been about 7 o'clock they said 'nope, you're out' and we had to get out.
"We got the dog and the bird but I've got three cats and a whole farm full of animals still out there so it's a bit distressing, calmed down a bit now but I wasn't very happy."
She would go back as soon as the road reopened, she said on Wednesday.
