Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Karikari fire now all but out

Updated at 1:12 pm on 5 December 2011

dousing the remnants of a fatal scrub fire on the Karikari peninsula. It is now all but out.

Heavy rain over the weekend eased the work of firefighters

dousing the remnants of a fatal scrub fire in the Far North.

The Rural Fire Authority says up to 80mm of rain fell on the Karikari peninsula on Sunday, and the fire is now all but out, after burning 140 hectares of manuka.

Spokesperson Bryan Jensen says only one fire crew is working at scene.

Mr Jensen says a helicopter will fly over the ground with an infra-red scanner to test for any remaining deep-seated hotspots.

A helicopter in which two men died last Wednesday, was hauled from the seabed off Karikari beach on Saturday.

The Civil Aviation Authority expects to release a preliminary report on the cause of the crash in about four weeks.

The rain also put out the last of a scrub fire in Hokianga that began last Friday.

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