Whanganui fire crews battle deep-seated blaze in forestry block

Whanganui fire crews have tamed a “deep-seated fire” in a forestry block on Hawken Road, near Mangamahu, off State Highway 4.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand shift manager Belinda Beets said crews were called to a fire in a skid site on a forestry block at 7.10am on Wednesday.

Three fire trucks and a water tanker from Whanganui Fire Station were on site.

“It’s quite a deep-seated fire,” Beets said.

“They are using heavy machinery to try and expose it a bit more so they can actually dampen it down.”

Fire and Emergency Manawatū-Whanganui assistant district commander Jemal Weston said the small fire in a pile of slash and logs had been brought under control.

“Crews are now just dampening down hot spots,” Weston said mid-morning today.

The fire had stretched to about 4m by 4m, he said.

Anyone planning to light a fire should go to CheckItsAlright.nz and be aware of the fire risk conditions.

The Manawatū-Whanganui Coastal Zone is in a restricted fire season which means anyone wanting to light an open-air fire will need a permit.

Eva de Jong is a reporter for the Whanganui Chronicle covering health stories and general news. She began as a reporter in 2023.