Fear lives could be lost as serial arsonist hits Northland town of Ahipara

Wednesday, 14 July 2021

As a serial arsonist hits the Far North community of Ahipara, people are urged to come forward with information.

Police and firefighters fear people could be hurt, or even killed, as a serial arsonist continues to strike in the Far North town of Ahipara.

Twelve fires are believed to have been deliberately lit in the last eight months, including five which razed houses or empty baches, and, four fires in abandoned cars.

The most recent was last week, when an unoccupied bach at isolated Tauroa Point was burnt to the ground in the early hours of the morning.

The largest suspicious fire in Ahipara was on December 29, 2020, when residents like Medadane Kipa were surprised their homes were not destroyed by the “massive” blaze.

But Ahipara fire chief Dave Ross said many other fires have also been suspicious, including a large blaze which caused the evacuation of 100 homes on December 29, 2020.

**READ MORE:

Huge plumes of smoke went into the air during the December 29 fire.

* Far North fire: Huge Ahipara blaze tamed, but remaining small fires worry crews

* Far North fire: Evacuated residents allowed home, but Ahipara blaze still burning

* Total fire ban in Northland after Far North blaze evacuates 100 homes

That fire took three days to contain, sending ash raining from the sky and burning through more than 50ha of scrub.

But Ross said the fire, which was started in two places on Gumfields Reserve, could have destroyed many houses, had it not been for a fortuitous wind change.

“It was heading towards the housing development on Foreshore Rd and Tasman Heights, and that night there was a 15-degree wind shift that saved the houses.”

The December 29 fire burnt through more than 50ha of scrub and could have destroyed houses, if not for a lucky wind change.

He fears people might be so lucky if there were to be a repeat.

“It’s a real issue. When a dwelling goes up, nearby dwellings are put at risk and firefighters are put at risk.

“We’re going running in as people come running out, that’s the problem: We put ourselves at risk and members of the public are put at risk due to the stupidity of people.”

About 1200 people live in Ahipara and the arsons are “heartbreaking” for the community, Jaqi Brown says. (File photo)

Ross said Ahipara’s 15 firefighters are all volunteers and, while he is retired, most are professionals with day jobs.

“We’re volunteers, and right up here we don’t have the strength and support of the paid staff that they do in Whangārei or Auckland.”

To top it off, Ahipara has the oldest fire station in Northland, as well as some of the oldest appliances in the area, he said.

The Ahipara community is very worried about the fires, said resident and Te Hiku Community Board member Jaqi Brown.

“The feeling of the community is that we could lose lives her. People are worried, and we are just hoping the people [responsible] will get caught.”

The December 29 fire spurred the community to get proactive, including holding two civil defence meetings.

Last Wednesday, 20 to 30 households signed up to a Neighbourhood Support network, she said.

Detective Senior Sergeant Mark Dalzell, left, says people should come forward with information about the Ahipara fires, for the sake of the community. (File photo)

The network initially aims to foster greater relationships between neighbours, with a phone tree already set up in case of another emergency.

In the long run, the aim is to instal security cameras on key roads in the area, which can be monitored by police in Kaitāia, Brown said.

Until the costly cameras can be funded, she urged people to come forward with information.

“It’s a very big concern for us in the community that this person is still at large.

“Somebody must have an idea of who this person is; it needs to stop, we need them to come forward,” Brown said.

“We’re a very small community, and it’s really quite disheartening that this person is doing this.”

Detective Senior Sergeant Mark Dalzell, of Kaitāia police, also believed someone in Ahipara knows something about the fires, as a degree of local knowledge has been used.

“My appeal is put your community first. If someone’s lighting fires, we don’t want to see anyone hurt,” he said.

Dalzell said police investigate each suspected arson as thoroughly as possible, but often a lot of the evidence is destroyed in the blaze.

He also fears lives are being put at risk, with the dangers of firefighting highlighted in 2011, when two firefighters died in a helicopter crash off the Far North’s Karikari Peninsula.

“Our firefighters give their own time to fight the fires and there’s an element of risk in that response,” Dalzell said.

“Also, people do not deserve to have their property damaged and have financial hardship.”

Two people who have learnt the hard way about property damage are Doreen and Des White, whose Kaka St holiday home was razed on February 11.

“It was a terrible shock because we lost the whole thing,” said Doreen White.

She is bitter the holiday house her husband built about 25 years ago has been lost to arson.

“I’d love to get hold of the mongrels – that’s what it amounts to. When you’ve had a place for 25 years, it’s lots of memories.”

While insurance covered the clean-up of the site, Des White is now too old to rebuild the house, and the Kaitāia couple have said goodbye to Ahipara, leaving the section to their daughter.