Whangārei wildfire under investigation, fire danger remains high

Helicopters with monsoon buckets fought a large scrub fire that broke out in Whangārei Heads, which is now contained. Photo / Rachel Maher

Fire and Emergency New Zealand is continuing to investigate the cause of a serious wildfire that started near Whangārei.

The fire at Waikaraka broke out at about 12.30pm on Thursday, forcing the temporary closure of Whangārei Heads Road and the evacuation of two homes.

Fire investigators have now established that the 14ha blaze started close to the ocean in a steep valley south of the city, between the suburb of Onerahi and Tamaterau Close.

Fire and Emergency incident controller Denis Cooper said fire investigators were still investigating, though they were confident the fire was not deliberate.

The fire was contained by Friday evening and there was currently “no fire activity” present, he said.

“Yesterday, [Saturday] firefighters strengthened containment lines and worked inwards to put the fire fully out.

“A team of two is there this afternoon doing final checks and they’ll be there tomorrow as well to make sure nothing is happening.”

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Cooper said Northland was getting some “patchy” weather that varied between towns rather than the widespread rain MetService had predicted.

He urged residents to check if they needed a permit before lighting fires and to be careful when using barbecues.

“There are pockets of Northland that have a pretty high fire danger rating.

“Whangārei is one of them.”

There are currently restrictions in place for lighting fires in Te Tai Tokerau, so a permit from Fire and Emergency is required for any outdoor fire.

Visit www.checkitsalright.nz to see what the fire restrictions are for your location.

Jenny Ling is a senior journalist at the Northern Advocate. She has a special interest in covering human interest stories, along with roading, lifestyle, business, and animal welfare issues.