More residents near Waikato landfill fire warned to keep windows, doors closed

Firefighters working to stamp out the Waikato landfill fire have warned more residents to keep their windows and doors closed after the direction of the smoke plumes changed overnight.

Crews are continuing to make good progress on extinguishing the Hampton Downs flames after it began on Sunday morning , Fire and Emergency New Zealand said in a statement.

EnviroWaste, the operators of the landfill, are working to cover the tip face with clay using heavy machinery to assist fire services in their efforts.

Overnight, the wind direction changed to a south-westerly direction, with the smoke drift expected to impact different communities from the previous two days, they said.

NIWA is currently mapping out the smoke plume to determine where and how far it will travel.

Nearby residents have been warned to stay indoors and keep windows and doors closed to block out the smoke and steam from the fire.

The blaze is not being treated as a hazardous substance fire, and the majority of the cloud coming from the fire is now steam, Fire and Emergency New Zealand said.