A vegetation fire is burning out of control on a sandspit at the bottom of the South Island. Fire Service southern shift manager Andrew Norris said scrub at Sandy Point on Oreti Beach was engulfed by a fire that had spread across 200 metres. There were only a couple of shingle roads leading to the area and fire trucks were not able to travel on them. There were six New Zealand Fire Service and rural fire service crews on site. The beach was made famous as the key location for the Burt Munro film The World's Fastest Indian.

Source: Otago Daily Times January 15, 2017 19:45 UTC