It was a case of right place, right time for a Southland helicopter company, its crews helping firefighters tackle a large gorse fire near Ryal Bush this afternoon. Their assistance also helped an Invercargill fire crew, who were delayed after arriving at the scene of a car crash in the city while en route to the blaze. A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesman said crews were called to the incident on the roadside of Makarewa-Browns Rd about 4pm. The blaze was confined to gorse and no property was threatened. An Invercargill crew came across the crash outside Countdown Waikiwi on North Rd about six minutes after the initial fire call to Ryal Bush, the spokesman said.

Source: Otago Daily Times January 15, 2021 05:14 UTC