UPDATE: 4.30pm, State Highway 96 near Mataura is expected to remain closed overnight as efforts continue to contain a nearby vegetation fire.

Nine fire trucks and two helicopters are battling a scrub in a forestry block at Thomas Hill, near Mataura.

State Highway 96, between State Highway 1 and Waimumu Road is also closed due to the fire.

Emergency services were alerted at around 2.10pm today (27 Nov).

Fire and Emergency NZ (FENZ) said the fire was reported to be 120m x 20m around 2.40pm but has grown in size since then.

Detours are available to eastbound vehicles, via Waimumu Road/Paterson Road and Glendhu Road.

FENZ said high winds have caused the fire to spread quickly.

People must not light any outdoor fires this afternoon and must check any previous fires or burns from the last few weeks to ensure they are not in danger of reignition. Don’t leave them to smoulder or assume that a fire is completely out just because you can’t see any flames or smoke.

The whole area should be thoroughly wetted until it is completely cold, and checked again afterwards, they said.