Northland news in brief: Tūtūkākā house fire; firearms incident in Kāeo

A house in Tūtūkākā was badly damaged by fire on Thursday night. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Fire and Emergency NZ investigating Tūtūkākā house fire

Fire and Emergency NZ were called to the same house twice in one night to deal with fires. Firefighters first responded to a fire at the two-storey dwelling in Tūtūkākā around 9pm on Thursday night, leaving several hours later when the fire was believed to be extinguished. Fire crews were called to the scene again at 2am on Friday, after a small fire again broke out in the roof area. Fire investigators were at the scene yesterday, a Fire and Emergency spokeswoman said.

Don’t miss out on redeeming gift cards

Consumer NZ is urging people to check the expiry dates on any gift cards they have received over the holiday season, so they don’t miss out on redeeming them. According to Consumer research, 24 per cent of gift card holders end up stuck with a card they are unable to redeem because either the card expires or the retailer goes bust. The watchdog estimates that New Zealanders are collectively losing in excess of $10 million each year on unspent gift cards.

Firearms callout in Kāeo

Police were called to a firearms incident on Weber Rd, Kāeo on Thursday. Around 6.15pm, police received a report of a person presenting a firearm from a moving car. There were no reports of shots fired or injuries, a police spokesperson said. Police are making enquiries to determine who was involved in the incident.

Two youths arrested after crash

Two youths were arrested after they crashed a car in Whangārei on Saturday night. Police spotted the “vehicle of interest” on Station Rd, Kamo around 11.40pm but did not pursue it. The vehicle was found shortly afterwards crashed into a fence. The two youths were charged and will appear in Youth Court, a police spokesperson said.

Swimmer and boat rescued off One Tree Point

A water emergency at One Tree Point was reported to police around 11am on Sunday. A small boat was reported to have mechanical problems, and a swimmer nearby was in difficulty. However, nearby boaties pulled the swimmer aboard and towed the boat to shore. Police took the swimmer to receive medical treatment for minor injuries from the boat’s propeller.