Investigators due on the Karikari Peninsula today hope to pin down the cause of a fire which briefly threatened to turn into a repeat of the devastating November 2011 blaze which claimed two lives and a number of baches.
Yesterday's blaze, however, was limited to about 1ha of pine forest
after fire bosses threw everything they had at it when the alarm was raised about 5.40am.
Fire Service volunteer support officer Colin Kitchen said the fire was in an area recently logged for forest leaseholders Juken Nissho near Maitai Bay. It was in an area south of Matai Bay Rd, not the forest at Cape Karikari plagued by fires in 2010-11.
The initial response included two fire appliances from the Karikari rural fire party, a fire truck and a tanker from Mangonui, and one appliance each from Rangiputa and Kaitaia backed up by two helicopters using monsoon buckets.
The fire was contained by 8am, when a digger was brought in to clear the perimeter and eight rural appliances, one chopper and 25 forestry workers were working to dampen down the hot spots.
