UNDER CONTROL: Firefighters hose down a rubbish fire which spread to nearby vegetation at Manutuke.
Picture by Rebecca Grunwell
FIREFIGHTERS from Gisborne and Manutuke responded to what was initially reported as an “explosion” at Rickards Garage at Manutuke yesterday afternoon, but turned out to be a fire that spread to vegetation.
Fire and Emergency NZ sent an appliance and a tanker from Gisborne and called out the Manutuke volunteer
brigade at around 1.30pm.
“It came in as an explosion, but when we arrived we found that flames from a rubbish fire pit at the rear of the garage had spread to nearby vegetation,” a senior firefighter said. “It appears the exploding sounds were from cans in the fire pit.”
The vegetation fire spread to involve about 20 by 50 square metres of dry scrub.
“It didn’t threaten the garage,” the senior firefighter said.
