Film Location of 'The Lord of the Rings' Burns in New Zealand

The filming location of 'The Lord of the Rings' continues to burn. Due to strong winds, the fire is rapidly spreading in Tongariro National Park, New Zealand. Tourists are being evacuated due to the fire.

Dozens of aerial and ground forces are involved in firefighting efforts. The area affected by the forest fire in Tongariro National Park, located on New Zealand's North Island, has reached 2,500 hectares. Fire services report that the effort to contain the fire is being hampered by strong winds.

Tongariro is one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations, and since the first day of the fire, rescuers have had to evacuate dozens of tourists who were on the trails. Fire crews continue to battle the blaze from both the ground and air, but operations are temporarily halted and resumed for safety reasons.

Authorities are monitoring the fire's direction and are prepared to organize additional evacuations if necessary.

Footage shared online shows the fire spreading along the ridge, creating a wall of smoke.