A successful drone mission overnight has seen firefighters identify hotspots at the Lee Valley fire.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand’s Urban Search and Rescue unit deployed its drones last night. The drone technology can pierce the forest canopy and identify hotspots more efficiently.

Incident Controller Steve Trigg says not only did this find hotspots in the main Lee Valley fire, but also helped identify small hotspots in the adjacent two initial fires that were thought to be extinguished.

"We’ll have one helicopter with a monsoon bucket and 20 ground crew today focusing on extinguishing these hotspots individually, as well as extending the control perimeter."

Those evacuated from their homes have been allowed to return, the road remains closed with the exception of monitored access to residents, the area this is still an active fireground.

"We urge the public to stay away from this area so as not to hinder fireground operations that are still active today," Steve Trigg says.

"This is also to ensure both the public and our crews are safe as we continue our operations."

This will be the only update for today unless significant developments occur. There will be another update on Sunday.

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