Car set alight on outskirts of Hastings, orchard owner shocked

A car allegedly set alight on the outskirts of Flaxmere could have caused a "disaster" in the dry if it had spread into a shell-shocked local's orchard.

Shirley Wilson, a resident of Irongate Rd West, said she woke to the sight of a smoking car and a severely burnt shelterbelt in front of her 4.5ha property.

"I heard a funny noise at 3.30am and thought somebody was coming down the driveway. I looked out the window, but the house is a way from the road so couldn't see any flames," she said.

"The fire melted and burnt the cable line, so there is no phone, no internet – nothing. Knowing how dry those trees are, I am really surprised the fire didn't just take off.

"We could have woken up this morning to a whole ring of fire surrounding us.

"It really could have been a disaster. If the fire had been any bigger, it could have spread across on to the next orchard too with everything so dry."

Wilson decided not to call firefighters because the vehicle had seemingly "burnt out" by morning.

Police said they received a report of a burnt vehicle at a location on Irongate Rd about 7.30am on Thursday.

Wilson said the fire was not a one-off incident.

"We've been here 22 years and had kids trying to set fire to trees on Stock Rd and always had cars dumped on the road, burnt out. It's a common thing unfortunately.

"I'm angry, but I am frightened as well because we could be asleep and have a fire all the way around our property and not even know.

"The people that do this don't think and just don't care."

A police spokesperson said they were conducting inquiries to establish the circumstances of the incident.