Rotorua crash: Reports of ‘small fire’ after power lines downed in Tikitere - police

The incident was reported to police around 3pm.

Two people have been injured after two vehicles crashed in Rotorua, downing powerlines and sparking a scrub fire.

A police spokesman said the crash on Tumoana Rd in Tikitere was reported about 3.07pm.

Police, St John and Fire and Emergency New Zealand attended the scene.

A Fire and Emergency NZ spokeswoman said no one was trapped but powerlines were down.

Firefighters sought assistance from the power authority and had extinguished a 20m x 20m scrub fire by about 5.06pm.

Two crews plus support vehicles attended.

A Unison spokesman said a car hitting a pole on Tumoana Rd initially caused a power outage for about 850 customers.

Power was restored to about 830 customers within 40 minutes, the spokesman said.

“Unison crews are currently en route to assess the damage, but an assessment will need to be done before we can confirm an estimated restoration time for the 20 customers currently without power.

“Unison will work as quickly as possible to restore power to these customers.”

The incident comes after a Rotorua couple died and three people were seriously injured in a crash on State Highway 30 yesterday - the third fatal crash on Bay of Plenty roads in three days.