Editorial: How a few can spoil it for others

A fire at Te Mata Peak is thought to have been started by fireworks.

It's disappointing to hear people ignored the fireworks ban at Te Mata Peak.

While it may be a good vantage point to set off sky rockets it's also a huge fire risk.

This careless behaviour saw six fire crew battle flames all night after being called out about 9pm Tuesday.

Given the steep terrain, firefighters took a lot longer than first thought to put out the blaze.

It took a helicopter using a monsoon bucket to extinguish the fire at first light yesterday morning.

Fireworks were found at the scene and people had been seen with them before the fire started.

Hastings District Council principal fire officer Trevor Mitchell laid the blame squarely on those lighting fireworks.

Sadly, Te Mata Peak Trust chairman Bruno Chambers was not surprised as there was often trouble at this time of year.

It's a shame really. The Government has tightened the regulations around the sale of fireworks in recent years to prevent any misadventures while still giving people the freedom to set off their own fireworks.

Yet people still do silly and dangerous things. What if the fire had taken hold on the drier grass and burned an even bigger scar into our recreational treasure.

What if it had threatened this weekend's Peak Trail Blazer? Fortunately, the keen trail runners will still be able to slog it out as they tackle the peak.

The people responsible need to keep their fireworks in their own backyard and out of harm's way. Let's not spoil all the hard work of volunteers who give up their time to care for one of our region's best assets.