Wind warning after fire spreads to shelter belt

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

Fire and Emergency NZ (FENZ) has warned people lighting fires in the open to be wary during strong winds after a waste vegetation fire spread to a shelter belt on an orchard in Bushmere Road on Tuesday afternoon.

FENZ sent an appliance and a water tanker to the property at around 1pm.

“People on the property had been burning some prunings when the fire jumped out in the strong wind and into a nearby shelter belt,” a senior firefighter said.

“The fire involved about 40 metres of the shelter belt.”

Fortunately an orchard worker was able to contain the fire spread with a sprayer until they got there to put it out.

“Care still needs to be taken with fires in the open because it’s still pretty dry in places.”