Tracer round fired by machine gun believed to have sparked large Waiouru scrub fire

The Defence Force says they believe a tracer round fired from a 7.62mm machine gun during live-fire training sparked a large scrub fire in the Waiouru Military Training Area.The ammunition used during the live-fire training on Sunday when the fire started was in belts containing one tracer round for every five rounds fired, the NZDF said in a statement.Fire and Emergency New Zealand said the fire in the central North Island area had not increased in size since Wednesday, but was still burning - with the burnt area now covering 3623 hectares.Incident controller Ben Cozens said crews were facing chilly temperatures on Friday, with strong winds and rain also forecast for the afternoon.The weather could make it harder to the tackle hotspots, he said, however the rain was not expected to be enough to extinguish fires still smouldering in bush areas.Fire and Emergency volunteers and New Zealand Defence Force personnel have been using hand tools to fight the fire in the Waiouru Military Training Area.Fire and Emergency New Zealand"More hotspots have been mapped including through the Te Rei Bush area, where crews are working today," he said.There are 68 firefighters working on the ground, supported by an 18-person incident management team.Defence Force personnel and machinery were also working to open existing access tracks so firefighting operations could continue in steep terrain."Safety of all our crews is still our top priority, and we have safety teams setting thresholds for crews to work within," Cozens said.Thursday morning Operations Briefing at the Waiouru Fire Station.Fire and Emergency New ZealandParts of the military training area were beginning to be released for the Defence Force to resume normal operations in, but firefighting was expected to continue for several more days.The NZDF said live-fire training was essential to maintain the New Zealand Army's combat capability, but the activity could result in fires.It said fire safety plans and effective coordination between the Defence Force and Fire and Emergency were essential to minimising the extent of such fires.The military said those measures have been demonstrated in the efforts of all parties involved in fighting the blaze.