Six helicopters supported by ground crews filling monsoon buckets are this morning fighting a large vegetation fire in scrub and wetlands near Meremere, North Waikato.

Incident Commander Shane Bromley says the fire front is now five kilometres wide and has burned through around 80 hectares.

The fire is not yet controlled and is spreading through Whangamarino Wetland a Department of Conservation area of environmental significance.

Shane Bromley says fire investigators are on the fire ground today but an origin and cause of the fire has not yet been confirmed.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand was alerted to the fire off Island Block Road around 1.15pm on Monday.

There will be another update this afternoon.

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