Last Thursday, police said both fire safety officers and police had been investigating five bush and scrub fires in Northern Hawke’s Bay, in some cases suspected deliberately lit. Inquiries are continuing.
Resources including helicopters had been used to fight some of the fires, and crews had been summoned from as far afield as Napier and Gisborne.
A similar range of resources was used to fight a burnoff that got out of control in the particularly dry Whanawhana district west of Fernhill, on Saturday afternoon and evening.
Varcoe said meetings to assess the fire risk are being held each Monday and Thursday, and some of the drier conditions, and thus some of the upskilling of firefighters, are a month ahead of the timing in recent years.
The last declaration of drought in the region – a step to trigger assistance for stricken farmers and other measures – was issued for Hawke’s Bay and other North Island areas in March 2020.
The 2020 drought triggered a study leading to the Hawke’s Bay Drought Resilience Strategy 2021-2026 which focuses on greater preparedness, although the time since has been pock-marked by severe wet-weather events, notably the November 9, 2020, Napier floods, the record-breaking rainfall through the Bay in 2022, and the calamity of Cyclone Gabrielle, which struck on February 13-14 last year.
Fire and Emergency said in a social media post that restricted fire seasons remain in place, and some prohibitions are expected.
“This means anyone thinking about lighting an open-air fire will need to apply for and obtain a permit at www.checkitsalright.nz,” the post said
Details of the limits in different localities are available on the website.
Meanwhile, hotter weather has already caused some problems on the highways, with melting on a section of State Highway 5 around Titiokura on Monday.
NZTA Waka Kotahi Hawke’s Bay Tairawhiti system manager Martin Colditz said road temperatures are typically significantly hotter than the air temperature, and the road surface retains the sun’s heat for a lot longer.
“For example, when the air temperature reaches the high 20s or early 30s, the temperature of the road may reach 55 degrees Celsius or higher,” he said.
The agency was aware that the section of SH5 had shown signs of “bleeding seal” or sticky surfaces, and short-term management could include things like water spraying to reduce temperature, application of sand or chip to the surface, or speed restrictions, but longer-term sites might require water cutting or resurfacing, or reconstruction if the deterioration was severe enough.
Bleeding is closely monitored and crews have machinery and equipment, including a chip sealer, on standby “ready to address these concerns”, he said.
Doug Laing is a senior reporter based in Napier with Hawke’s Bay Today, and has 51 years of journalism experience, 41 of them in Hawke’s Bay, in news gathering, including breaking news, sports, local events, issues, and personalities.
