Wairoa volunteer firefighters miss Christmas parade after Raupunga bamboo blaze

Wairoa volunteer firefighters were called to a fire in Raupunga as they lined up for an annual Christmas parade.

It was minutes before the annual Wairoa Christmas parade when volunteer firefighters had to rip off their festive decorations and respond to a fire in Raupunga.

With three trucks decorated with tinsel and firefighters in festive gear ready to dazzle parade onlookers as per tradition on Saturday, their thoughts quickly turned from Santa to the siren.

Wairoa deputy chief fire officer Te Arohanui Cook said they got the call as they were lining up at 1.35pm for the 2pm parade.

“It was just a matter of going back to the station to quickly take off some of the decorations that wouldn’t travel so well on the open highway at responding speed,” she said.

“When we arrived there, we had a vegetation fire in felled bamboo that had been dried, and it looks like it basically had spread from a fire that had been previously lit and was burning it slowly.”

Cook said the fire spread into nearby vegetation but they had it extinguished after an hour.

She said moments like these highlighted their dedication to serving the community.

“Everyone had gone to great efforts and washed the trucks that morning and blinged up the trucks – we had them all done in a Christmas theme.”

She said they kept the trucks decorated simply in case of a callout.

“Depending on calls, it might not be appropriate turning up with a truck in festive fare.”

She said there was one bonus to having everyone ready for the parade.

“What it did mean, though, is that it was a very quick response as all of our trucks were fully crewed.”

She said they were disappointed to have missed the parade but they managed to get out on Sunday for the annual lolly run.

“It’s just one of those things. We were all keen to help and support the parade because, along with other emergency services, we lead the parade.”

Vegetation fires were the most common type of callout for the volunteers at this time of year.

“People are cleaning up properties, or it’s things they have accumulated over the winter months and early spring and they’ve been waiting for a dry spot and light it up.”

She advised the public to keep an eye on the fire status for where they lived and to ensure old burn piles were fully extinguished.

“We are volunteers, and we would like to have a rest and a break too. Any safe practices that people can employ that reduces the need for us to go out would be appreciated.”

According to Fire and Emergency New Zealand, the Wairoa inland area is in a restricted fire season and anyone wanting to light an open-air fire needs to obtain a permit.

Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings newsroom. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and loves sharing stories about farming and rural communities.