Firefighters attend two scrub fires across Hawke's Bay

Fire and Emergency New Zealand were called to two scrub fires across Hawke's Bay on Sunday afternoon, including one along the riverbank near Waipawa. Photo / Paul Taylor

Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) crew have attended two scrub fires across Hawke's Bay - one on a Waipawa riverbank and another off State Highway 5, near Te Haroto.

A FENZ spokesman said two appliances from the Waipawa Fire Brigade were called to a scrub fire about 100 metres by 30m, east of the township, at 2.35pm.

Napier fire station, Bay View and Te Pohue crews were also called to a scrub fire off SH5, near Te Haroto where firefighters recently dealt with a forestry fire, about 2.30pm.

The spokesman said it appeared to be in the same location as the previous 4ha fire which three helicopters and 50 firefighters were called to attend in late January.

The Waipawa fire was under control by 5pm, with Waipukurau chief fire officer Steve Walker adding it was a good thing the wind hadn't picked up until later.

"The fire was growing in intensity," he said. "It just spread lengthwise down the bank."

It took five crews about two and half hours to extinguish the Waipawa fire which measured about 100 by 30 metres. Photo / Paul Taylor

Five crews attended to help extinguish the fire which was between a stopbank and the Tukituki River.

Walker said conditions were "extreme" and "very, very dry" which meant it was important to remain vigilant.

He said the cause of the fire was not yet known and would be investigated.

The two fires follow a recent grass fire in Takapau, which measured 35ha and led to the closure of SH2 for several hours on Thursday.

An investigation into the fire is under way, but it was not believed to be suspicious.

A total fire ban is in place across Hawke's Bay, extending across the whole of the East Coast from East Cape to Takapau.

No outdoor fires, including burning braziers and incinerators, are allowed because of the increased fire danger.