Firefighters have successfully established a 30m cold zone around the Tasman fire.
Firefighters at Tasman fire. Photo: RNZ / Andrew McRae
A Civil Defence spokesperson said crews had been working for some time to create a zone where nothing is burning, and were now working to expand it to 50m wide.
They said cool weather over the past two days had helped firefighters, who were continuing to locate and and eliminate hotspots.
With all residents back in their homes and public access reinstated to the fire-affected valleys, the temporary Civil Defence centre in Richmond was closed this afternoon.
The remaining cordons in Teapot, Eves and Redwood valleys were lifted yesterday.
The Section 91 machinery ban was still in place and parks and reserves in Nelson and Tasman were still closed.
Officials were happy with progress but reminded people the fire was still not out and the state of emergency remains until Wednesday.
Ministry aid for communities caught up in Tasman fire
More than $210,000 of Civil Defence payments have been handed out to 600 people affected by the Tasman fires.
The payments are being provided by the Ministry of Social Development to help residents meet urgent or unexpected costs.
That includes food, furniture and petrol as well as urgent living expenses like house repairs, rent, bedding and power bills.
Anyone is able to apply for the payments, which were made available on 7 February two days after the fire broke out.
A phone helpline set up on 11 February has taken nearly 1200 calls to date, and the Ministry of Social Development says most have been about getting financial help.
The ministry is encouraging people to get in touch if they want to know more about how they can help them.
