Firefighters have achieved a significant win over the Tasman fire, creating a 30-metre "blackout" zone around the entire perimeter of the fire.
1 NEWS joined Fire and Emergency NZ crews today near Eves Valley, as they tightened their grip on the three-week long forest fire.
They’re still busy dousing hotspots, cooking at hundreds of degrees Celsius underground.
Deputy Principal Rural Fire Officer Robin Thompson explains the deep burning areas "need either shovels or hoses or excavators like the one working behind us here".
Up to 8mm of rain fell on the fire ground yesterday, which offered "about one day of protection really" from ignition sources like falling pine needles.
"It's still an extreme fire risk here," cautions Mr Thompson. "Any new start in the region will be jumped on in a hurry".
With cordons in the Teapot, Eves and Redwood Valleys now lifted, people are being warned not to get too close to where crews are still working.
"A couple of afternoons ago, a family drove into the fire area off the top of Dovedale Hill just thought they'd have a wee look, see how the firefighting operations were going".
Meanwhile, recently returning Valley residents are beginning to reflect on their time away.
Mike Waring, of Redwood Valley, describes being home as "miraculous".
"We've been very pleased to be back," he said.
He spent 15 days as an evacuee, "I think we were the first people thrown out of our houses up here".
He’s grateful his property remains relatively unscathed, although he counts himself "lucky".
Mr Waring’s woodshed is stocked with pine cones and logs and behind it is a power system generator.
"All our solar panels would have gone, our generator, and that probably would have set the house on fire," he says.
Close calls that won't be forgotten, as the strength of this fire is weakened by the day.
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