Hurunui scrub fire

The story so far

Residents in rural North Canterbury were evacuated from their homes and a section of State Highway 7 was closed as firefighters battled an uncontained bushfire in the Island Hills.^{15 Feb 2025} The first report put the fire at about five hectares, but later reports said it burned over 40 hectares of vegetation, with one describing the location as near Hanmer Springs and another as near Island Hills in Hurunui.^{15, 16, 17 Feb 2025} Firefighters contained the blaze, State Highway 7 reopened and evacuated residents returned to their properties, although crews stayed on site to put out hotspots.^{16, 17 Feb 2025} A local helicopter pilot said residents were very lucky to avoid any damage to their properties.^{17 Feb 2025}

Latest

Firefighters contained the blaze on Sunday morning, and no property damage was reported.^{17 Feb 2025}

What's next

The cause of the blaze is still being investigated.^{16 Feb 2025}

Key moments

1. 15 Feb 2025Evacuations and highway closure as uncontained bushfire burns in Island Hills
2. 16 Feb 2025State Highway 7 reopens and evacuated residents return after containment
3. 17 Feb 2025Firefighters contain the scrub fire on Sunday morning; no property damage

Written from the stories below; each sentence links to its sources.