Fires across the South stretched resources and frustrated firefighters in increasingly windy conditions yesterday. There were also several other, smaller, fires in grass and vegetation around the region. Principal Rural Fire Officer Graeme Still said it was a very busy and "frustrating" day trying to co-ordinate resources across the region. Strong winds, which had been predicted, contributed to fires spreading quickly and those that were not put out completely restarting. He called it "a wind-driven event" and said fires were flamed, and efforts to put them out hampered by wind gusts of up to 140km in some areas.

Source: Otago Daily Times August 31, 2020 16:30 UTC