Two helicopters battling a large blaze near Omarama this afternoon were grounded after a drone was seen nearby. A person close to the operation said the helicopters were grounded for about 20 minutes and police had been notified. The helicopters were deployed to help battle the large blaze in Broken Hut Rd, south of Omarama, which sparked about noon. Fire and Emergency New Zealand shift manager Andrew Norris said crews from Omarama, Twizel and Kurow were struggling to contain the blaze, which had destroyed a hay barn and spread to surrounding trees. Fire crews were alerted to the blaze about 12.20pm.

Source: Otago Daily Times February 04, 2019 01:07 UTC