Aerial footage shows extent of New Zealand forest fire

Aerial footage shows the extent of a fire in Kirwee, a town on New Zealand’s South Island on Sunday, 4 February.

A large forest fire erupted in the Canterbury town and spread quickly in strong winds and challenging conditions, according to Fire and Emergency New Zealand.

The footage, from one of multiple helicopters that assisted in firefighting efforts, shows large parts of the forest that were razed by the fire, with smoke still moving upwards despite the fire having died down.

Residents were quickly evacuated, and firefighters confirmed that the fire had been contained with no loss of buildings or livestock on Monday morning.