Water supplies to New Caledonia's capital city, Nourmea, may be put at risk by a forest fire which has been blazing for five days.
The fire has already destroyed 3 thousand hectares and is now threatening a major nature reserve on the territory's main island.
Jean Louis D'Auzon of the Association to Protect Nature in New Caledonia says more helicopters are needed to help put out the fires.
Mr D'Auzon says if the fire is not extinguished quickly, there may be serious environmental repercussions.
"Mostly birds, small birds and invertibrate will be destroyed and the problem is the start of the mountain is where parts of the water for Noumea is coming from, so in the next month and year, we will have problems in getting water enough for the people in Noumea and the country around Noumea."
