Chopper called to Far North fire

TEAM WORK: The Kaitaia Fire Brigade's deputy Chief Fire Officer Craig Rogers and his daughter Aleesha fighting the Paparore Road blaze after it crossed the road and ignited pampas grass.

The Northern Rural Fire Authority warned last week that as of Saturday it would be dispatching a helicopter at the first sign of smoke anywhere in the Far North, and that whoever struck the match would be getting the bill.

It didn't have to wait long to put that policy into action. The Kaitaia Fire Brigade, supported by the Houhora Rural Fire Force, was called to Paparore Road, north of Awanui, a little after 1pm on Saturday where a blaze that began under trees crossed the road and ignited vegetation, threatening a house and a detached sleep-out.

The occupants were removing contents from the sleepout, which at one point was just metres from the flames, when the first appliance arrived. The Kaitaia brigade also used its water tanker (which took water from a nearby stream) and called for a chopper, which finished the fire off.

Crews were there for some two hours, Kaitaia's CFO, Colin Kitchen, saying the cause of the blaze was being investigated. One resident from the nearby house told the Northland Age that the cause was unknown.

Meanwhile Terry Rolfe used a digger to remove burning pampas and other vegetation after the fire crossed the road, preventing it from spreading further.

Meanwhile the Kawakawa Fire Brigade spent about 30 minutes bringing a small vegetation fire under control on Paihia Road later in the afternoon, Mr Kitchen saying there hadn't been too many problems, and just after 7pm the Kaeo brigade was called to a blaze in a pump house on Dip Road, Kaeo. The crew was there for more than an hour.

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The cost of getting a helicopter into the air is understood to be $800, the bill mounting after that according to duration and distance. The minimum $800 will be demanded of anyone found to be responsible for any of Saturday's incidents.

As of yesterday the Northern Rural Fire Authority was still holding off from imposing a total fire ban in the Far North, but Principal Rural Fire Officer Myles Taylor said the situation was approaching a "tipping point".

He was keeping his options open in case rain arrived in the next two weeks, but in the meantime no new fire permits would be issued. Anyone who already held a permit had been informed that as of Saturday every fire would be treated as non-permitted.

A restricted fire season, which means a permit is required for any fire other than barbecues or hangi, is in force over the whole of Northland.