Six helicopters battle Southland fire threatening two comms towers
Six helicopters are currently working to protect telecommunications towers from a vegetation fire in Southland, New Zealand. While the fire is not currently a threat to the public, authorities are concerned about severe gale-force winds forecast for the region.
Why it matters
The fire highlights the vulnerability of critical infrastructure to wildfires, especially as extreme weather events become more frequent.
<p>Six helicopters are racing to protect two telecommunications towers from a large vegetation fire in northern Southland this evening with severe gales forecast to batter the region from tomorrow.</p> <p>Fire and Emergency NZ was first called to the blaze on Mount Hamilton near Centre Hill, east of Te Anau, at around 3.37pm on Sunday.
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