Pōrangahau fires: Police urge travellers to avoid the area over Labour weekend

The coastal settlement of Pōrangahau is still taking every caution due to vegetation fires in the area.

Eastern District Police are asking people not to travel to Pōrangahau this long weekend due to enduring scrub fires and windy conditions in the coastal settlement.

The police said some of the fires had not been fully contained.

While no evacuation orders were in place currently, those who reside in the area should “make arrangements and be ready to leave if they experience smoke or see fire”.

The Saleyard fire size was revised down on Thursday morning after aerial mapping to 139ha, with a small amount of fire spreading overnight.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand said the fire was about 30% contained, with seven crews working hard to get it as contained before the afternoon winds.

The Bush Road and Schaeffer Road fires are contained.

“At Schaeffer Road there are dive crews working on deep-seated hotspots. They will continue to do so for the next day or two.”

At Bush Road, there are no crews currently on site, but the fire will be monitored for any flare ups over coming days.

“People should remain vigilant.”

Central Hawke’s Bay Mayor Will Foley was in Pōrangahau on Wednesday.

“That community is amazing,” Foley said.

“Even though the Saleyard Bridge fire was sending a lot of smoke into the village, they were calm and collected.”

The community was showing resilience under the pressure of yet another adverse event, and had rallied to support the fire crews with food, hot showers and accommodation, Foley said.

MetService meteorologist Silvia Martino said forecasters were monitoring conditions across the region on Thursday morning, with an orange strong-wind warning in place for the Tararua District from 10am and a strong wind watch for Hawke’s Bay from 11am.

Fire and Emergency’s Wellington and Hawke’s Bay districts have brought in a total ban on outdoor fires and fireworks from midday today until 8am on Monday, October 27.

The prohibition means no new outdoor fires can be lit. People must also check their previous burns for signs of reignition.