Burning rubbish, car fire keep FENZ crews busy

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Firefighters reponded to burning vegetation at Makorori and to a car on fire on the outskirts of the city overnight Wednesday/Thursday.

They responded with a fire appliance and a water tanker to the fire at Makorori after a passerby reported what appeared to be grass on fire in the dunes.

“When we got there it turned out to be a heap of someone’s household rubbish that had been set alight,” a senior firefighter said.

“It was burning near the Red Bus surf spot at the southern end of the beach.”

The call came in at about 7pm Wednesday evening.

At 3am on Thursday, Fire and Emergency NZ was called about a car ablaze at the outer end of Gladstone Road.

“It was a BMW, an older model, and it was well alight when we got there,” the senior firefighter said.

It was near Campion College.

“The vehicle was extensively damaged. How the fire started has yet to be determined.”