Firefighters had high winds and vegetation to take into consideration when battling a Tūtira house fire.
Firefighters had high winds and vegetation to take into consideration when battling a Tūtira house fire.
A rural home has burned to the ground after embers from a days-old outdoor fire sparked a large blaze near the Hawke’s Bay settlement of Tūtira.
The extent of the damage has led to a warning from Fire and Emergency NZ about the dangers of old burn piles andspring winds.
Hot embers from the weekend burn pile spread to trees surrounding the home on Matahorua Rd, north of Napier, this morning.
Six fire trucks and two water tankers from Putorino and Napier were called at 8.54am and managed to extinguish the fire just before 11am, but not before the house and a nearby shed were destroyed.
Napier senior station officer Jamie Nichol said the fire was about 1km up the road from the Tūtira store and school.
Firefighters had high winds and vegetation to take into consideration when battling a Tūtira house fire.
“It’s a total loss, there is nothing left of the shed and house.”
He said the occupants managed to escape safely from the one-storey house, and the wind at the scene was a “gusty westerly wind”, which was believed to have caused the embers to travel.
“It’s possibly spread from a burn pile they had during the weekend.
“They had burnt some prunings and slash and stuff ... on Sunday, and the wind has got up and embers from that have set fire to vegetation around the house, which has then spread to the house.”
Nichol said such fires were more likely during high winds.
“We may think that the burn pile has been extinguished and out for a day or two, but there are still hot embers sitting underneath it for a good two or three days later.”
Fire and Emergency said Hawke’s Bay residents should avoid lighting any fires during windy spring weather.
Community risk manager Nigel Hall said people should also check any existing burn piles to make sure they were fully extinguished.
“Windy weather is the perfect condition for old fires to reignite and escape.
“If you’ve been burning vegetation any time in the last few months or so, check the fire is completely extinguished. If there’s hot ash, and it’s safe to do so, dig into it, spread it out and pour water over it.”
At 1.30pm, firefighters were still on scene in Tūtira, dampening hotspots to ensure the fire was out.
Police said the road was closed for a while from about 10am.
Earlier in the morning, at 8.15am, firefighters were called to a fire in a 50m shelterbelt and small paddock at Whakatu on State Highway 51.
Three trucks and two tankers were at the scene until just after 10am to extinguish the blaze.
Then, at 10.30am, firefighters were called to a hedge fire on Tukituki Rd, Haumoana. The fire covered an area about 10m by 10m. No injuries were reported.
Two fire trucks and a tanker from Hastings were then called to Pākōwhai for a small shed and tree fire at 1.05pm.
