"We're currently working from the farm park, so between the pine trees and the surf club."
There's still plenty of energy in the fire as it stretches across the cliff top above Ngarunui Beach, Raglan, this morning. Photo / Supplied
Flames from the blaze could be seen from Raglan and beyond last night after igniting around 8.30pm. Photo / Supplied
With the second chopper on hand, they were attacking the fire at the north and south ends, particularly the northwest end where it buts up into the pine trees.
The fire had warmed up overnight and early this morning, creating a flare-up to occur and the second helicopter to be called.
"Once it warms up it gives it another lease of life but we've pinched it off at the moment. We've got a different wind shift now but it is contained and under control."
He told the Herald just after 12.30pm that he expected all resources to stay there for at least a couple more hours.
He said there was a lot less smoke but now the mission for crews was to work their way in, dousing the affected area from the edges in.
Earlier he said firefighters had managed to stop the fire from getting into a mountain bike park and pine trees but it had torn through flammable pampas grass and gorse.
Northern fire communications shift manager Colin Underdown said given the tricky terrain, firefighters struggled to tackle the blaze by foot but managed to get it under control about midnight last night.
Crews were called to the area at 8.30pm and battled reasonably strong winds, he said.
Cook said no homes or vehicles were damaged.
While there was one helicopter initially fighting the fire this morning, a second was called about 10.30am.
Cook said he was surprised at how active the fire still was earlier today, however it wasn't affecting any properties and wasn't out of control.
"We're just managing it at the moment, just cutting it off."
The fire tears through pampas grass and scrub last night. Photo / Supplied
A helicopter dumps water on the fire in scrub in the cliff tops of Wainui Reserve this morning. Photo / Supplied
Raglan fire crews who spent the night fighting and then keeping an eye on the fire had gone home for a rest, while the helicopter and a crew from Te Akau Volunteer Fire Brigade had arrived at the scene.
"Te Akau are here but we can't safely fight it on the ground. It's very steep and pretty uncomfortable terrain. It's an awkward place but fires usually are in awkward places."
As for what caused the fire it was still undetermined, but Cook said it showed that people still needed to be careful.
"It shows that the potential for fire is still there, especially in this sort of vegetation which is pretty flammable at the best of times."
The Waikato region went into an open fire season last week and he urged people to hold off lighting any fires until after the country had been through the whole lockdown process.
Raglan firefighters at the end of Riria Kereopa Memorial Dr last night as the fire rages on in the background. Photo / Nicole Mills
The fire pictured at 10.15am today. Photo / Supplied
"Yes it's an open season but if they can refrain from burning we would appreciate that."
He had noticed that a lot of neighbours of those lighting properties in their backyards, taking the opportunity to burn-off a lot of rubbish, had been getting frustrated with each other, mainly due to the stench of the smoke.
"That's the really peculiar situation of people who have time on their hands and have been collecting rubbish or the rubbish isn't being collected so we're getting a lot of people doing that, a lot of people who are not normally having fires are having fires."
The fire pictured from the beach this morning. Photo / Supplied
