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Motorists can expect delays after a large scrub fire has closed a state highway south of Murchison.
One lane of the main inland route from Nelson to Christchurch has reopened as fire crews continue to battle a large blaze south of Murchison.
The fire which started on Monday morning has grown from four to five hectares to 15 hectares, and four helicopters were helping to get the fire under control.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand shift manager Simon Lyford said “the conditions and the landscape have prevented any foot or ground resources getting to it, so that’s why they’re using the helicopters there.”
Monsoon buckets filled from the Maruia River were being dumped on the land.
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Lyford said there was a “slight wind” at the scene, which seemed to be “swirling around”, which was not helping with the fire.
He understood no one needed to evacuate in the vicinity as it was quite a remote area.
He said it was too early at this stage to say what the cause of the fire was, or if an investigator would be called in.
A Fire and Emergency spokesperson said it was told of the scrub fire near the Shenandoah Highway (State Highway 65) at 11.09 on Monday morning, and by 12pm the fire was about four to five hectares in size.
“We have crews from Murchison and Springs Junction attending.
“The helicopter has been requested as the wind is pushing the fire up the ridge.”
Victoria Thomson, who lives 5km away from the fire on a farm, said the fire on the Shenandoah Saddle was on scrubland.
Thomson said there had been fires in the same spot “a couple of times”.
She said it was “smoky” nearby and there was a lot of ash at the base of the Shenandoah Saddle, where her in-laws lived.
They were not evacuating at this point, she said, and could not see the flames from their house.
Thomson described conditions out there as being “very dry” and said it hadn’t rained in over a month.
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