Saturday night action after quiet Guy Fawkes for Gisborne firefighters

Firefighters responded to fires in beachside vegetation on Saturday night which spread from bonfires, and this one at the navigation beacon along Centennial Marine Drive, which was caused by fireworks.

What was looking like a near faultless Guy Fawkes week in Tairāwhiti was marred on Saturday night by beach bonfires left burning and a sizeable grass fire on Centennial Marine Drive.

Firefighters dealt with three bonfires that spread to vegetation and a grass fire started by fireworks.

“The first call came in at around 10.30pm Saturday night,” Gisborne senior station officer Tim Lister said. “Bonfires that had spread to surrounding grass had to be put out.

“There was a grass fire by the green light navigation beacon, south of Pacific St, that spread to burn about 30m by 50m.

“It was started by fireworks near the roadside and spread towards the beach.”

The morning after – the remains of a fire near the roadside at the beach side of Centennial Marine Drive. Photo / Murray Robertson

Lister said one of the bonfires was near the mouth of the Waipaoa River.

“The others were spread along the beach along the Mad Mile back towards town.

“Our only saving grace, which worked in our favour, was the strong offshore wind, which prevented more widespread damage.”

There were no fireworks-related call-outs on Sunday night.

It followed a clean slate on Guy Fawkes night itself last Wednesday, which local crews welcomed.

A gorse burn-off got away on a Wharekopae Rd farm at Ngatapa on Sunday, taking off up a hillside. Firefighters from three brigades spent around two hours putting it out. Photo / Supplied

Fire crews from Gisborne, Patutahi and Manutūkē were called out Sunday at midday to a farm on Wharekopae Rd at Ngatapa after a burn-off got out of control.

“We were there for about two and a half hours putting out a burn-off of gorse that got out of hand,” a senior firefighter said. “It had taken off up the hill.”

At 6pm on Sunday, a crew was sent to Anzac St to put out a small vegetation fire.

“It was treated as suspicious, but did not appear to be fireworks-related,” he said.

Shortly after that, firefighters went to a house in Childers Rd where a small fire had started in the kitchen.

They arrived to find a fire smouldering around the oven.

“We put it out with an extinguisher, then a hose reel. There was damage caused to the cabinetry around the oven.”

It appeared to have been caused by radiated heat from the oven.