Five fire trucks and water tankers helped to contain the fire.
Five fire trucks and water tankers helped to contain the fire.
A large blaze at a timber mill near Dargaville was caused by a neighbour's rubbish fire that was lit without a permit.
Firefighters worked for two-and-a-half hours to put out the blaze in a sawmill pile 40m by 10m and 6m high at the mill in Arapohue, south of Dargaville,on Friday about 2pm.
Deputy chief fire officer for Dargaville Michael Ross said a property owner nearby left a rubbish fire unattended when he thought it was out. Embers were blown on to the timber mill site and the sawmill pile had caught fire.
"There's a bit of carelessness there. They thought the fire was out but it wasn't. You have to check and recheck to ensure it is out," he said.
Five firetrucks and water tankers from Dargaville, Te Kopuru, Ruawai and Paparoa went to the mill to help contain the fire.
The Kaipara District Council declared a restricted fire season on January 29, meaning all fires lit had to be by permit.
Permits were not required if the fire was in a commercially constructed barbecue or incinerator or was a cooking fire and pressurised water was at hand.
The firefighters worked for two-and-a-half hours using a forklift and a digger to remove burning wood and douse it.
They had left at 4.30pm and did not have to return, Mr Ross said. He had feared the fire could re-ignite.
Anyone who lights a fire in a restricted season may be liable for costs associated with control of that fire. Holding a permit does not remove liability.
