Fire at landfill site near Huntly

A previous fire at Puke Coal's landfill smouldered for more than a year. Photo / Waikato Regional Council

Fire crews are battling a fire at the site of a landfill near Huntly in the Waikato.

Fire and Emergency was called around 5.30am to the fire on Rotowaro Rd in Pukemiro, northern shift manager Paul Radden said.

The Herald understands the fire is at the address of the Puke Coal landfill, though Radden did not confirm if the fire was in the landfill itself.

Just before 8am there were two fire trucks and two water tankers in attendance, Radden said.

“The fire is under control and just continuing to dampen [it] down.”

A previous fire at the Puke Coal landfill in Pukemiro began in August 2020 and smouldered for more than a year.

In 2021 Waikato Regional Council laid 44 charges against the company.

Hundreds of complaints were laid by local residents over the impact of the smoke and the objectionable smell.

At one point the stench was so bad that the council issued a health notice to pregnant or breastfeeding women to move out of the area.

A preliminary health assessment had indicated there was “potential for increased levels of dioxins in the atmosphere”.

The notice was lifted a month later.