About 15ha of wetland in Dargaville is continuing to burn and produce a significant amount of smoke, which has caused some locals to self-evacuate. Photo / Fenz
About 15ha of wetland in Dargaville is continuing to burn and produce a significant amount of smoke, which has caused some locals to self-evacuate. Photo / Fenz
A large vegetation fire tearing through a wetland west of Dargaville for almost a week forced several residents to self-evacuate.
Firefighters were called to a “rapidly growing” fire at farmland on Scottys Camp Rd towards Baylys Coast Rd on February 1.
Northland Fire and Emergency assistant commander Denis Coopersaid the dry and windy conditions further fuelled the vegetation fire, which had spread through 15ha of farmland by the next morning.
While the fire has since been contained, several Baylys Beach residents concerned about their health and safety still opted to leave their homes.
In the early hours of Monday, Rachel Curle and her family evacuated after the strong smell of smoke seeped into the house despite the home’s fully sealed windows.
“We had to cover the children’s faces to carry them to the car as we could barely breathe outside,” Curle said. “Driving out of the smoke, we couldn’t see more than three feet in front of the car.”
Another resident, Sarah Tittleton, also struggled with visibility while driving as she, her husband, two teenage sons and some friends from Auckland left the family home at 1am because they could not bear the intense smell of the smoke.
Local Michelle Russel posted on social media about having to drive her children to her mother’s house after her home got “super-smokey” and she started to feel “nauseous.”
Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand had issued a health warning asking residents to stay indoors to avoid ash and smoke from the fire.
Cooper said the fire posed no threat to the public. He said firefighters faced a “difficult task” in completely extinguishing the fire and smoke. He explained the organic soil making up the wetlands acted as “fuel” because it was highly flammable when dry.
Nearby residents who may be affected by the smoke should, as much is feasible, close windows and doors and reduce outdoor exercise.
He said 35 firefighters were putting in their best efforts to minimise the amount of smoke being produced and the public could expect things to get better today. Presently, firefighters were making use of one bulldozer and an excavator to dig deep into the wetland and extinguish the fire underneath it.
Cooper said local firefighters told him the wetland fire accidentally started after a pump burst into flames during usage, but a fire investigator was looking into the cause.
In response to concerns about a “smokey taste” in some people’s drinking water supply, Kaipara District Council operations engineer Brian Armstrong said the water was safe to drink.
“Smoke or ash cannot contaminate the treated water supply. Anything that may be in the raw supply would be removed by the treatment plant.”
Te Whatu Ora advises all residents to call Healthline on 0800 611 116 if they have any related health concerns or experience any respiratory difficulties because of smoke.
Avneesh Vincent is the crime and emergency services reporter at the Advocate. He was previously at the Gisborne Herald as the arts and environment reporter and is passionate about covering stories that can make a difference. He joined NZME in July 2023.
