All Access. All in one subscription. From $2 per week
Subscribe now

All Access Weekly

From $2 per week
Pay just
$15.75
$2
per week ongoing
Subscribe now
BEST VALUE

All Access Annual

Pay just
$449
$49
per year ongoing
Subscribe now
Learn more
30
NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • Deloitte Fast 50
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Baylys Beach residents self-evacuate following week-long vegetation fire in Kaipara

By Rose Dixon & Avneesh Vincent
Northern Advocate·
7 Feb, 2024 05:00 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
About 15ha of wetland in Dargaville is continuing to burn and produce a significant amount of smoke, which has caused some locals to self-evacuate. Photo / Fenz
About 15ha of wetland in Dargaville is continuing to burn and produce a significant amount of smoke, which has caused some locals to self-evacuate. Photo / Fenz

About 15ha of wetland in Dargaville is continuing to burn and produce a significant amount of smoke, which has caused some locals to self-evacuate. Photo / Fenz

A large vegetation fire tearing through a wetland west of Dargaville for almost a week forced several residents to self-evacuate.

Firefighters were called to a “rapidly growing” fire at farmland on Scottys Camp Rd towards Baylys Coast Rd on February 1.

Northland Fire and Emergency assistant commander Denis Cooper said the dry and windy conditions further fuelled the vegetation fire, which had spread through 15ha of farmland by the next morning.

While the fire has since been contained, several Baylys Beach residents concerned about their health and safety still opted to leave their homes.

In the early hours of Monday, Rachel Curle and her family evacuated after the strong smell of smoke seeped into the house despite the home’s fully sealed windows.

All Access. All in one subscription. From $2 per week
Subscribe now

All Access Weekly

From $2 per week
Pay just
$15.75
$2
per week ongoing
Subscribe now
BEST VALUE

All Access Annual

Pay just
$449
$49
per year ongoing
Subscribe now
Learn more
30
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

“We had to cover the children’s faces to carry them to the car as we could barely breathe outside,” Curle said. “Driving out of the smoke, we couldn’t see more than three feet in front of the car.”

Read More

  • Vegetation fire in Kaipara prompts health warning from ...
  • Warning not to light fires on Far North’s conservation ...
  • Multiple choppers bring large vegetation fire in Northland ...
  • Homes evacuated after large vegetation fire in Northland ...
  • Northland firefighter recalls details of terrifying ...

Another resident, Sarah Tittleton, also struggled with visibility while driving as she, her husband, two teenage sons and some friends from Auckland left the family home at 1am because they could not bear the intense smell of the smoke.

Local Michelle Russel posted on social media about having to drive her children to her mother’s house after her home got “super-smokey” and she started to feel “nauseous.”

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand had issued a health warning asking residents to stay indoors to avoid ash and smoke from the fire.

Cooper said the fire posed no threat to the public. He said firefighters faced a “difficult task” in completely extinguishing the fire and smoke. He explained the organic soil making up the wetlands acted as “fuel” because it was highly flammable when dry.

Nearby residents who may be affected by the smoke should, as much is feasible, close windows and doors and reduce outdoor exercise.
Nearby residents who may be affected by the smoke should, as much is feasible, close windows and doors and reduce outdoor exercise.

He said 35 firefighters were putting in their best efforts to minimise the amount of smoke being produced and the public could expect things to get better today. Presently, firefighters were making use of one bulldozer and an excavator to dig deep into the wetland and extinguish the fire underneath it.

Cooper said local firefighters told him the wetland fire accidentally started after a pump burst into flames during usage, but a fire investigator was looking into the cause.

In response to concerns about a “smokey taste” in some people’s drinking water supply, Kaipara District Council operations engineer Brian Armstrong said the water was safe to drink.

“Smoke or ash cannot contaminate the treated water supply. Anything that may be in the raw supply would be removed by the treatment plant.”

Te Whatu Ora advises all residents to call Healthline on 0800 611 116 if they have any related health concerns or experience any respiratory difficulties because of smoke.

Avneesh Vincent is the crime and emergency services reporter at the Advocate. He was previously at the Gisborne Herald as the arts and environment reporter and is passionate about covering stories that can make a difference. He joined NZME in July 2023.

Save
    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

Christchurch

'Rural communities don’t matter': Anger over proposed police cuts

Premium
Retail

Takapuna Beach Cafe's James Bryant on moving from front of house to owning the business

New Zealand

Afternoon quiz: Which other species of tree is closely related to the pōhutukawa?


Sponsored

Kiss cams and passion cohorts: how brands get famous in culture

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Recommended for you

Victoria to enshrine work-from-home rights in landmark law change
World

Victoria to enshrine work-from-home rights in landmark law change

Afternoon quiz: Which other species of tree is closely related to the pōhutukawa?
New Zealand

Afternoon quiz: Which other species of tree is closely related to the pōhutukawa?

Stress fracture sidelines key All Blacks halfback
All Blacks

Stress fracture sidelines key All Blacks halfback

Warriors lead North Queensland at halftime
Rugby League

Warriors lead North Queensland at halftime

Basketball fan arrested after throwing sex toy on to court
Basketball

Basketball fan arrested after throwing sex toy on to court

Rotorua begins major upgrades to water and wastewater infrastructure
Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua begins major upgrades to water and wastewater infrastructure



Latest from New Zealand

'Rural communities don’t matter': Anger over proposed police cuts
Christchurch

'Rural communities don’t matter': Anger over proposed police cuts

Police plan to cut rural officers, boosting resources in central areas.

03 Aug 03:36 AM
Premium
Premium
Takapuna Beach Cafe's James Bryant on moving from front of house to owning the business
Retail

Takapuna Beach Cafe's James Bryant on moving from front of house to owning the business

03 Aug 03:00 AM
Afternoon quiz: Which other species of tree is closely related to the pōhutukawa?
New Zealand

Afternoon quiz: Which other species of tree is closely related to the pōhutukawa?

03 Aug 03:00 AM


Kiss cams and passion cohorts: how brands get famous in culture
Sponsored

Kiss cams and passion cohorts: how brands get famous in culture

01 Aug 12:26 AM

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
All Access. All in one subscription. From $2 per week
Subscribe now

All Access Weekly

From $2 per week
Pay just
$15.75
$2
per week ongoing
Subscribe now
BEST VALUE

All Access Annual

Pay just
$449
$49
per year ongoing
Subscribe now
Learn more
30
TOP
search by queryly Advanced Search