A large scrub fire that threatened homes in the Far North earlier this evening has been controlled and damped down.
Helicopter with monsoon bucket (file) Photo: RNZ / Patrick Phelps
The Fire Service said it burned through an area of scrub at least 70m2 near Marlin Drive in Taupo Bay and three crews kept it from spreading to nearby houses.
One person has been treated for smoke inhalation.
Shift manager Carren Larking said the fire was well damped down, and two helicopters called to the scene earlier had been stood down.
A ground crew was staying on-site to keep an eye on it, she said.
It is the latest in a series of vegetation fires around the country, including one near a Department of Conservation camping ground at Matai Bay on the Karikari Peninsula.
That fire started on New Year's Eve and has been contained again after a flare-up yesterday. It had damaged almost 10 hectares.
A group of scrub fires also broke out around the Wither Hills in Marlborough on Saturday. Police and the Fire Service have been treating them as suspicious.
