Ground crews remain on the site of a large fire in Te Haroto extinguishing hotspots two days after the fire started. Photo / Pan Pac
About 40 people are working on the site of a large fire that broke out in a forestry block managed by Pan Pac and later spread to Department of Conservation (DoC) land to dampen hotspots.
Pan Pac Forest Products general manager of forests Tim Sandall said ground crews from Fire and Emergency New Zealand and Pan Pac have worked hard over the past 24 hours to locate and extinguish the hotspots.
“Staff are working across the area today and, if weather conditions allow, a thermal drone will be used to assess the area tonight.
“There is a low chance of a flare-up given ground and weather conditions on site.”
Sandall said the forest area where the fire started is a second rotation forest, replanted in 2013 and had been fully pruned.
“The area in the fire zone is approximately 16ha, with actual crop damaged area likely to be less.”
Fire and Emergency had a fire investigator at the site on Tuesday morning who would review the scene and determine the cause.
Sandall said they would continue to work with Fire and Emergency until the fire is determined to be out, which he expected to be on Wednesday or Thursday.
He said Pan Pac was adequately equipped and prepared in case of a fire at that block.
“With water points nearby, trained and experienced staff and contractors and supporting firefighting equipment, Pan Pac was able to work closely with Fire and Emergency and their teams to provide a rapid and effective response.”
Te Pohue rural fire chief Murray Charteris said he was part of the team that initially responded on Sunday.
“So I’m told from our group is that Pan Pac have taken over and is dealing with it.
“It’s been pretty bloody good really, it could have been one that really got away.
“It flared up a lot during the night [Sunday], but then it fizzled out, and Pan Pac got in there with their crew and managed to contain it.
“We don’t want Hawke’s Bay burning.”
At 3.15pm on Monday Fire and Emergency New Zealand said ground crews were still working to extinguish the fire which grew to 22ha, with 18ha in Pan Pac forest and 4ha in DoC native bush.
The initial fire was reported about 5.41pm on Sunday near Waitara Rd and Pohukura Rd in Te Haroto, in the Hastings District.
As of 9am on Monday, Pohokura Rd remained closed from the Tutira end, and later reopened at 6pm.
An emergency mobile alert was issued early on Monday morning, warning campers and DoC workers to evacuate the area, but, by 9am, the alert was no longer in place, according to Fire and Emergency New Zealand.
A resident who lives on Napier Hill in Napier (about 50km from Te Haroto) said she received the Emergency Mobile Alert just before 2am, and it woke up her family.
A Fire and Emergency spokesman said the initial response on Sunday included three helicopters, three urban pumping trucks, two tankers and three rural vehicles.
On Monday, 45 personnel, made up of firefighters and forestry workers, and one digger remained at the scene.
“They are just working with ground crews, establishing a working perimeter.”
The spokesman said this was to contain the fire within that area.
“You have got an area that’s on fire, and we establish a perimeter around it, and once that is done, it is then contained, and they can work on full extinguishment.”
A Pan Pac spokeswoman said the cause of the fire was unknown.
“Pan Pac had suspended forestry operations in its forests over the weekend.
“The fire spread across Pohukura Rd into DoC land near the start of Bell Rock Loop Track.
“Approximately 20ha of pine forests has been burned. Pohokura Rd is closed, and campers and DoC workers have been evacuated from the Bell Rock area.”
Kelly Eaton, DoC’s acting operations manager, Hawke’s Bay District, said rangers were expected to examine the damage and support suppression efforts.
“We understand the fire has entered the reserve but thanks to the dedicated efforts of Fire and Emergency, Pan Pac, helicopter operators, and the community overnight, the spread has been minimal within Public Conservation Land.”
Eaton said no staff or volunteers were at the DoC base at Boundary Stream at the time of the fire.
“Tūtira campground was evacuated by police early on, though we are unsure how many campers were evacuated.
“The campsite is now open as there is no current risk.”
Eaton said they were still unclear on the exact extent of the fire, so they could not be certain what had been affected.
“There are a number of threatened and taonga species throughout the Boundary Stream Scenic Reserve and Maungaharuru Range.
“Roughly 300m from the fire edge is our predator-free exclosure which protects translocated Cook’s petrels.
“The petrels currently have nests with chicks, and rangers are checking on them today following smoke exposure overnight.”
Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings newsroom. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and loves sharing stories about farming and rural communities.