Boat fire in Martinborough

A smouldering bonfire proved costly for a homeowner after it ignited a land-based 15m trimaran, trees and neighbouring sheds in a backyard in South Wairarapa this morning.

The boat was all but destroyed, along with outlying sheds and scorched pine trees.

The fire reached the garage adjoining the house, but the house was not damaged.

Black smoke from the boat was visible across South Wairarapa, with a neighbour spotting the smoke as he was heading down Lake Ferry Rd.

The man, who would only give his name as Rob, said he "knew it would be the boat" from the amount of smoke.

He commiserated with the homeowner, who did not wished to be named or make a comment.

Up to five appliances and two hazmat units from Featherston, Martinborough, Greytown and Rimutaka in Upper Hutt descended on the French St cul-de-sac in Martinborough, shortly before 9am to find the boat, sheds and trees well alight and the house under threat.

A command post to run fire crews in shifts, in breathing apparatus, was set up, and the blaze was brought under control in an hour.

Martinborough chief fire officer Bill Butzbach said the homeowner had lit a permitted rubbish fire yesterday and thought he had extinguished the fire that night. "He hadn't, and he didn't check it this morning, and of course, now there's a wind.

"He's lit it too close to combustibles.

"It's crazy -- I'm surprised it didn't go up when he lit the fire."

The crews ran five hoses into the property and had to work "very hard" to stop the fire from spreading, he said.

An unexpected hazard was beehives on the property, with "bees getting excited" though no-one was stung, he said.

Rural fire officer Porky Sexton said he had written out a fire permit yesterday and felt "near sick" when he was rung about the blaze.

"I got told there was this big fire and it dawned on me, it's this one.

"He told me, he would only do a little fire. I was bloody near sick, I couldn't believe it.

"You can tell people black and blue and they just don't listen. People just don't realise how dry it is out here."

WTA er