A backyard rubbish fire started a raging wildfire which threatened eight homes and forced two households to evacuate.
Rural firefighters were still at work at Ahipara's Foreshore Rd yesterday, at the southern end of Ninety Mile Beach, dampening down hotspots after the Far North's biggest fire so far this year.
At the height of the blaze on Thursday afternoon, 50 firefighters, 10 appliances and two helicopters were struggling to bring 45ha of burning scrub under control, and the column of smoke could be seen in Kaitaia 15km away.
Kaitaia chief fire officer Colin Kitchen said the fire started about 1.30pm between Ahipara and Shipwreck Bay.
The flames spread quickly through dry scrub, fanned by a 10-knot breeze, up towards a ridge and around the bottom of the hill towards houses.
Eight homes were threatened, two of which police started evacuating. A large extended family was at home in one, a woman in the other. Flames came within 10m of the houses, Mr Kitchen said.
Firefighters battled difficult conditions with lots of smoke, swirling wind and little water. Trucks had to shuttle water from Roma Creek about 1km away.
In the end the helicopters and their monsoon buckets saved the day, Mr Kitchen said.
It was the biggest fire in the Far North so far this year, "so we got off pretty lightly".
One bach and one car had been destroyed, but neither was thought to be in use.
When the alarm sounded the brigade was on its way to a fire near Te Hapua, just south of Cape Reinga.
The firefighters turned back at Waiharara and raced to Ahipara instead, leaving a chopper to douse the Te Hapua fire.
Far North principal rural fire officer Lance Johnston said five crews were still at the scene yesterday, with the last firefighters packing up about 1pm.
It started when a Foreshore Rd man took his eye off a rubbish fire at a critical time in the early afternoon. Fire authorities would "definitely" seek cost recovery, and already had a signed statement from the man. He is believed to be insured.
The cost of putting out the fire was not known yesterday, but a chopper and monsoon bucket costs roughly $2000 an hour.
Mr Johnston said the open fire season did not absolve people of their responsibilities if they allowed a fire to get away.
The fire in long grass and light scrub at a cluster of baches near Te Hapua only burnt an area of about 20m by 20m but a chopper was sent because of its remoteness and inaccessibility. Locals had managed to bring it under control with beaters, he said.
Rubbish fire threatens eight homes at Ahipara
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