Fire crews dampening hotspots of Lower Hutt scrub fire

October 23, 2021

Fire crews are dampening hotspots of a scrub fire which came close to homes in Lower Hutt on Friday.

Fire and Emergency NZ (FENZ) said on Saturday morning they had sent a team back to the scene after the blaze was extinguished.

Efforts on Friday had been hampered by a rogue drone flying around the scene of the scrub fire.

Firefighters had to call off their aerial operations on Friday after it became too unsafe due to a drone spotted flying near it.

Incident controller Jason Hill urged the public to avoid flying drones as helicopters can't operate while they are in the area. 

"We have had to suspend the aerial attack while the drone is in the air to ensure the safety of our pilots and crews." 

  FENZ confirmed to 1News on Friday that the scrub fire was initially reported to be covering a 40 by 20m patch of land but had later "grown considerably". 

The fire is not believed to be suspicious, but initial reports suggested it was started accidentally due to activities on the fire break.

No homes are at risk and no one has been evacuated.

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