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Eerie photo from fire near Nelson shows smoke drowning out the sun

February 5, 2019

Some people have been forced to leave their homes evacuated due to the fire near Wakefield.

As a serious fire near Nelson burned today an eyewitness snapped an eerie picture showing a massive plume of smoke drowning out the sun.

Charles Newton provided the image of the blaze ripping through a pine forest in Pigeon Valley near Wakefield to 1 NEWS.

Emergency Services, who were called to the scene at about 2:15pm today, say it is likely the fire will burn for days.

Tasman District mayor Richard Kempthorne told RNZ about 30 properties have been evacuated so far.

Read more: Houses evacuated as forest fire near Nelson spreads across 120 hectares in strong winds

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