Glenorchy Road Rat Point Fire – final update

1140, Thursday 12 January 2017

The fire at Rat Point has been largely contained, with power and road access restored to Glenorchy

Two ground crews will continue to patrol the area today to fully extinguish the fire and ensure that hotspots are monitored and dampened down. A helicopter will also be on site to dampen down inaccessible hot spots, ferry ground crews and help with observations.

The Glenorchy Road remains open, drivers are asked to take care when driving through the area as it is still an active operational zone and they may encounter fire appliances and ground crews working along the side of the road. There may be further road closures as monitoring work progresses throughout the day.

An investigation into the cause of the blaze will begin today with fire investigation officers and police presently on scene.

With the fire contained the operation will begin to scale down, and the Incident Management Team will cease to operate after midday today. This will come back online if the situation requires it.

Fire crews will remain on the ground at the site and will be rotated as the operation is expected to last for three to five days.

This will be the final media update unless the situation changes. Any further information and updates will be available at www.qldc.govt.nz or on the Queenstown Lakes District Council Facebook page.

ENDS

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