The devastating fire in the Dunedin suburb of Burnside has been contained overnight. Dunedin residents who had to evacuate their homes because of a large fire in the suburb of Burnside will today find out if they are allowed to go home.
About 100 homes were evacuated after the fire rampaged through a timber yard, some industrial buildings and 25 hectares of trees in minutes. The temperature in the city had already hit a national high of 34 degrees celsius, setting the scene for what followed. Witnesses said the fire began on a hill near Mount Grand. It narrowly missed igniting a building filled with gas canisters.
At the height of the fire, six helicopters, 25 crews and about 100 personnel were fighting it. Some locals, including Ruben Morison, heard loud bangs coming from several industrial buildings.
RNZ Otago reporter Ian Telfer watched the fire burn on Wednesday and he's back in Burnside now. He describes the scene to Guyon Espiner.
