Southbridge fire contained, roads reopen

Chris Lynch
Chris Lynch
Sep 18, 2025 |

The large vegetation fire that has been burning at Southbridge in Selwyn since yesterday afternoon has now been contained.

Incident Controller Lou Ander said most firefighting crews had been stood down, with some heavy machinery still working to turn over hotspots.

Fenz

“All roads are now open again, and I expect to be able to hand back the fireground to the landowner this afternoon,” he said.

Ander said smoke would remain visible from the area over the next few days as remaining hotspots were extinguished, which was to be expected.

Fenz

The cause of the fire is under investigation and will not be known until the inquiry is complete.

Fire and Emergency said this would be the final update on the Southbridge blaze unless there was a significant development.

Chris Lynch
Chris Lynch

Chris Lynch is a journalist, videographer and content producer, broadcasting from his independent news and production company in Christchurch, New Zealand. If you have a news tip or are interested in video content, email [email protected]

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