All of Northland is now subject to a total fire ban as fire crews contain a large scrub fire thought to have started last week with sparks from a grinder being used outdoors.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand incident controller Jason Hill said the fire consumed more than 11ha of scrub, gorse, and grassland at Mangakahia but was now contained thanks to the hard work of firefighters, machinery operators, and helicopter crews.
On Friday, about 50 firefighters from six brigades and five helicopters battled the blaze that was reported at about midday - just hours after a drought was announced for Northland.
The fire, which quickly spread from its initial flare-up over 2ha, destroyed a derelict school. No other structures were at risk and there had been no need for evacuations, Fire and Emergency said.
“Two crews are back today [Sunday] patrolling the perimeter and monitoring for hotspots,” Hill said.
“We aim to have the fire fully extinguished by the end of the day.”
Hill reiterated that all outdoor fires had been banned across the Northland region from midnight Saturday until further notice - an extension of the prohibited fire season already in place for some areas.
Fire and Emergency district manager Wipari Henwood announced the ban, saying the continuing dry, hot, and often windy conditions meant it was too dangerous to light any outdoor fires “as they will quickly get out of control and be very difficult for firefighters to extinguish”.
At that stage, crews were still working to put out the fire at Mangakahia and another at Ōtaua. Fire and Emergency was also monitoring the sites of recent large fires at Waipoua and Kaimaumau.
“We have a huge fire risk at present and all of the recent fires are taking their toll on our firefighters,” Henwood said.
“Over 90% of Northland’s firefighters are volunteers, so the constant call-outs don’t just have an impact on them but on their families and their employers or their own businesses too.”
Henwood said people should pause all outdoor activities that generated sparks, including grinding, mowing, welding, and using chainsaws until after significant rain. Two of this week’s fires were caused by sparks from grinders setting fire to vegetation.
“It only takes one spark to ignite a fire in these conditions. People have the best of intentions, but the consequences are severe when a fire starts.
“We hope the community will get behind us on this until the current conditions ease,” Henwood said.
Sarah Curtis is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate with nearly 20 years experience in journalism - mainly as a court reporter on the East Coast. She is especially passionate about justice and environmental issues, and about giving a voice to those who often go unheard.