A woman was injured in a house fire in Maraenui, Napier, in late August. Photo / Warren Buckland
A woman was injured in a house fire in Maraenui, Napier, in late August. Photo / Warren Buckland
The number of house and structure fires has jumped dramatically across Hawke's Bay in the past two months.
It's prompted a call from a top firefighter for people to watch their cooking and their kids closely, and to check their smoke alarms.
Firefighters battled another house fire on Thursday nighton Freyberg Ave in Tamatea.
A Fire and Emergency NZ spokesman said on arrival, about 11pm on Thursday, significant flames were coming from the roof of the house and backup was called for.
"That is right across Hawke's Bay from Wairoa down to Dannevirke.
"Certainly within the region of the lower North Island, Hawke's Bay is a significant outlier in terms of the number of structure fires we have been experiencing."
He said his message for people was to ensure they have a working smoke alarm.
Cooper said most incidents they had attended had working smoke alarms which was good to see.
He said for families who may find it financially difficult to buy a new smoke alarm, you can ring 0800 347 332.
"We are more than happy to come and give some advice and install a smoke alarm."
A woman was injured in a house fire in Maraenui, Napier, in late August. Photo / Warren Buckland
He said during the lockdown last year they experienced a lower number of calls but that trend was bucked this time around.
"During lockdown we generally experience a lower volume of calls but during this lockdown it has escalated.
"One thing is unattended cooking which is a large cause of our fires, and unsupervised children can be a contributing factor.
"So [our message] is vigilance around that risk of fire and how quickly it can spread."
BONFIRES
People looking to light a bonfire on the beach are being reminded to look up the website - Checkitsalright - first.
Beachgoers are also being reminded that bonfires on all beaches in the Napier City Council area are strictly prohibited under a council bylaw, despite it currently being an open fire season.
Bonfires on beaches are generally allowed during open fire seasons if they don't breach a council bylaw.
"Predominantly we get bonfires on the beach along our coastline as the summer period comes in and leading into November fireworks activity," Ken Cooper, the Fire and Emergency NZ Hawke's Bay district manager, said.
Fire and Emergency NZ operates the Checkitsalright website which allows people to look up any location to see if bonfires - and other outdoor fires - are permitted.
It also includes a link to the relevant council to check any bylaws. Mahia Peninsula beaches and Waipatiki Beach also have permanent bonfire bans in the Hastings District.
