50 firefighters battle cemetery blaze

The Bush fire at the Waikumete Cemetery in West Auckland. Photo / David Ramsay

A huge fire stretching 200m razed four to five hectares of scrub in the country's biggest graveyard, the Waikumete Cemetery in West Auckland, last night.

About 55 firefighters were called to the scene around 7pm where a scrub fire burned dangerously close to railway tracks near West Coast Rd, Glen Eden, in the oldest part of the cemetery.

Several train services were cancelled. Colin Underdown, of the Northern Fire Communications, said the blaze was "all scrub" and there had been no reports of any damage to graves.

Firefighters said dry conditions contributed to the two large fires and several small fires on four to five hectares of vegetation.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze and left the area by midnight.

Fire safety officers were to investigate.

- with NZ Herald staff