Firefighters responding to a shelter belt fire caused by fireworks celebrating Diwali in Te Puke were hampered in their efforts to access the blaze by the hundreds of festival revellers who had gathered to watch the display.
Te Puke volunteer fire brigade was called to reports of the shelter belt fire near the Sikh Temple on No.3 Rd at 9.30pm.
Fire chief Glenn Williams said the crew could see the fire from some distance away on the main road as they were travelling toward it.
"The flames were shooting high into the air. Of course it was quite some way off the road so we couldn't get too close. There were a number of sparks showering on to the ground."
Mr Williams said their efforts in getting to the fire were also hampered by the hundreds of people who had gathered to celebrate the Diwali festival.
"I don't know if it was because of the fireworks finishing or because of the fire starting but a lot of people were starting to leave. So as we were coming up Number 3 Rd there were a lot of people trying to leave."