Lack of wind saves forest from fire

A plume of smoke rises behind Lake Waiparera as firefighters battle to control a blaze on the edge of Aupouri Forest. Photo / Richard Hilton Jones

Near windless conditions might well have spared Aupouri Forest from a major fire.

Bob Shirley, of Summit Forests, said as it happened the forest had not been at great risk, but it could have been a very different story if the conditions had not been so benign on Saturday.

The cause of the fire, west of Waiharara, was unknown, he added, but fires were lit by humans, whether maliciously or accidentally.

The flames had covered a significant area of scrub, taking some small pine trees and edging into the forest itself. And that prompted a warning that the Far North was still in the grip of a long dry summer.

"We will need significant rain to put an end to this fire season," Mr Shirley said.

"We've had some rain but nowhere near enough.

"The big fuel that would be available to a fire like this one is still very dry, and people need to be reminded that they need a permit before they light any fire outdoors."

The Aupouri Peninsula is subject to a year-round fire restriction.

"Trust me," he added, "you don't want to be getting the bill for fighting a fire like this one."

The Kaitaia Fire Brigade and Houhora Fire Force also attended, although much of the work was done by three helicopters.

Kaitaia Senior Station Officer Ross Beddows said his crew had had some trouble finding the blaze, using a farm track off Katavich Rd.

"It was pretty rough going; I think we lost a couple of mudflaps, but nothing Selwyn [Subritzky] can't fix," he said.