Tongariro, New Zealand – Authorities in New Zealand are battling a massive forest fire that has now spread across an estimated 1,100 hectares in the Tongariro National Park on the North Island.

The blaze, which ignited on Saturday evening, prompted the immediate evacuation of approximately 83 people in total, with around 43 people rescued by helicopter and 40 others flown to safety.

Due to the rugged terrain and the sheer scale of the fire, direct extinguishing efforts were halted overnight, with emergency teams switching to monitoring the scene. Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) has confirmed that a large deployment of aircraft, fire engines, and water tankers is now operating, with an aerial survey underway to assess the full extent of the damage.

Assistant Fire and Emergency Department Commander, Craig Gold, commented, “Due to the rugged terrain and the expansion of the fire patch, air control will be more effective at this stage than sending additional ground teams.” Full control of the incident is expected to take a full day of intensive operations.

Eyewitnesses described the scene as a “huge firewall”, with some flames reaching approximately thirty metres high along a four-kilometre front, causing widespread destruction to sensitive vegetation. The cause of the fire remains unknown, and a specialised investigative team from the capital has been deployed to assist the police. No buildings have been reported as being in immediate danger.