Vegetation fire breaks out near chicken farm in Tuakau

A large fire was blazing in the Waikato town of Tuakau on Thursday afternoon. Photo / Mikey Taylor

A massive fire has broken out near a chicken farm in the northern Waikato town of Tuakau.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand said crews were called to a vegetation fire on Brown Rd at 4.20pm today.

They confirmed the fire was now contained and crews were in a “mop-up stage”.

Smoke plumes were seen at the scene of a large fire in Tuakau today. Photo / Mikey Taylor

Fire and Emergency said the blaze grew to about 150m by 10m at its peak.

Flames tore through dry grass, sticks and low scrub, sending plumes of white smoke drifting over the rural area, close to the site of Bromley Park Hatcheries.

Mikey Taylor, who lives in nearby Patumāhoe, said several crews were involved in fighting the blaze, with engines parked on and below the hillside site.

He said winds drove the smoke towards the nearby township of Pōkeno.

Fire and Emergency crews attended the blaze in Tuakau, north Waikato. Photo / Mikey Taylor

Police confirmed they attended the scene after they were alerted just before 5pm. Taylor said officers were seen redirecting traffic away from the area.

Fire and Emergency said it had not issued any smoke danger warnings, despite claims circulating on community Facebook groups.

Three major fires have also broken out across the Auckland region over the past 24 hours, including a fatal sleepout blaze in Ōtāhuhu, a fire at a central city block and a house fire in Panmure.