New Zealand Crews Halt Advance of Wildfire on City Homes

New Zealand Crews Halt Advance of Wildfire on City Homes
A helicopter dumps water on a wild fire in the Port Hills near Christchurch, New Zealand, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2017. Up to 15 helicopters, and over a 100 firefighters have been battling two massive wildfires that have burnt over 700 hectares since erupting on Monday evening. AP Photo/Mark Baker
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WELLINGTON, New Zealand—Firefighters in New Zealand’s second-largest city were able to halt a wildfire’s advance on suburban homes Thursday after it burned down 11 houses in the hill suburbs and forced hundreds of people to evacuate.

John Mackie, the civil defense controller for Christchurch, said about 130 firefighters on the ground assisted by more than a dozen helicopters had stopped the fire from encroaching further into the city.

He said the plan was to let it burn itself out, and that a forecast of rain over the weekend would help. He said the fire was spread over about 2,000 hectares (5,000 acres) in Christchurch’s Port Hills.

The cause of the fire remained unknown and was being investigated, he said.

A helicopter pilot who was a decorated soldier died in a crash while fighting the blaze earlier this week.

Christchurch City and adjacent Selwyn District declared a state of emergency Wednesday. Selwyn Mayor Sam Broughton said changing winds had made the fire unpredictable.

A helicopter dumps water on a wild fire in the Port Hills near Christchurch, New Zealand, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2017. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
A helicopter dumps water on a wild fire in the Port Hills near Christchurch, New Zealand, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2017. AP Photo/Mark Baker