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Answers:
Since our last news report the fire south of Nelson has grown to the point where about 2500 residents of Wakefield had to evacuate as it looked like the fire was coming towards them. Wakefield is a town 30km south of Nelson. It is a very old town, and has several historic buildings, so it was a great relief when it didn’t come any closer and the residents were able to return to their homes yesterday.
However, the fire continues, and 500 residents of Teapot Valley, Eves Valley and Redwood Valley are still not able to return home for any more than two hours every because it is too dangerous to stay there.
Firefighters say the fire currently covers about 2300 hectares, and it could well continue into March. They say that now the fire is mostly spreading underground, and they can detect hot spots using drones with infrared cameras.
A volunteer group has started up on Facebook called the Nelson Fire Clean Up Crew. They are offering help to anyone who needs it. The government has allocated $70,000 to help with the emergency, and $50,000 for helping farms.
vocabulary:
allocate: when you share something around a large group, a certain amount is allocated to each individual. In this case, the government has a certain amount of money for emergencies, and the Tasman fire has been allocated a certain amount of that money.
Evacuate: if you have to evacuate a place, it means all people must leave that place for safety reasons
Historic: very old places that were built by people or where interesting things happened in the past are considered to be historic.