The state of emergency for Christchurch City and Selwyn District has been lifted as the Port Hills response moves into its recovery phase.
It's been exactly one week since the Port Hills lit up in flames, burning through more than 650 hectares of land and destroying one home. It plunged nearby districts into local states of emergency.
Civil Defence Emergency Management group recovery manager Richard Ball told reporters on Wednesday the immediate risks to people, animals, the environment and property have diminished.
The first step of the recovery phase is to understand the impact and consequences of the fire and, from there, Civil Defence will work with other agencies and the community to develop and implement action plans.
"Recovery is complex, it takes time, especially if you want to do it well," Ball said.
According to Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ), drone footage on Tuesday night identified 20 hotspots and on Wednesday 70 firefighters worked towards extinguishing these.
Incoming incident controller Dave Key said crews will also begin to demobilise equipment from the ground as progress continues to be made.
However, it is still an active fire ground and the investigation into the blaze remains ongoing.
Canterbury remains in a prohibited fire season as the fire risk remains extremely high. FENZ reminds people to stay very aware about the work they do during the day.
Hot work or spark-generating work, which includes mowing lawns, should be done earlier in the day when it is cooler.
