Two treated for smoke inhalation after Hokianga grass fire

Kerikeri firefighters extinguish a blaze next to State Highway 10 at Bulls Gorge, one of several fires around Northland yesterday. Photo / Peter de Graaf

Volunteer firefighters stopped a grass fire spreading into pine trees and a large area of forestry slash near Rawene yesterday.

Rawene chief fire officer Nopera Pikari said the team of five were called to a 50m x 50m grass fire on Wharekawa Rd about midday.

Fortunately the fire was burning away from a nearby house but two people who had tried to put the fire out had to be treated at the scene for smoke inhalation while a third was injured on a nail. One patient was taken to Rawene Hospital for further observation.

Pikari said the cause of the fire was not definite but he reminded Northlanders a total fire ban was in place throughout the region.

Meanwhile, a fire beside State Highway 10 at Bulls Gorge, south of Kerikeri, was more evidence of how perilously dry conditions remain in Northland.

Two crews from the Kerikeri Fire Brigade extinguished the 50m x 5m blaze in grass and reeds about 3pm yesterday.

Fire safety officer Michael Champtaloup said the fire could have been sparked by dry kikuyu grass in contact with an electric fence. Another, less likely, possibility was a discarded cigarette.

He urged farmers to be vigilant about vegetation around electric fences and said all Northlanders needed to stay alert.

Despite some rain last week, conditions were still very dry and the fire risk around scrub in particular was extreme.