Fires contained after busy day for South Island firefighters

All vegetation fires in the South Island are now contained after a day in which strong winds and warm temperatures wreaked havoc for firefighters, with fire crews attending up to seven scrub fires across the South Island. Earlier todayMetService earlier on Saturday warned of "severe gale west to northwesterlies" for southern parts of the country. Strong wind watches were in force for Inland Canterbury Plains, Queenstown Lakes District, Central Otago, Stewart Island and coastal parts of mainland Southland, Clutha and Dunedin, as well as southern parts of the North Island. "A front over the south of the South Island continues to move northeast. Hands urged South Islanders not to burn outdoor fires in the high winds.