Firefighters contain scrub fire in Ahipara, Far North, where homes were evacuated

Friday, 8 February 2019

Helicopters and crews on the ground would start attacking the fire again at first light, FENZ said.

Firefighters say they have contained a large scrub fire that saw four homes evacuated in the Far North.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) shift manager, Paul Radden, said a blaze at Shipwreck Bay, Ahipara, had been contained to 4.6 hectares and major structures in the area had been protected.

Helicopters attacking the large scrub fire from above.

Fire services received multiple calls about the fire and at-risk homes were evacuated as crews battled the blaze that spanned five hectares at its height, and broke out in the early hours of Friday morning.

Six crews sent to the scene were withdrawn at 5am due to safety concerns, but four helicopters and firefighters on the ground have been attacking it since first light.

* Dry weather prompts fire warnings in Northland**

Fire crews in the Far North were stood down in the early hours of the morning over safety fears.

The helicopters and ground crews would be working for another hour until forestry contractors would take over to mop up and overhaul vegetation so the fire does not reignite, Radden said.

The firefighters were all volunteers from Kaitaia, Ahipara, Houhora and Karikari, he said.

Fire and Emergency crews in Shipwreck Bay, Ahipara.

There was also a command unit from Whangārei, Radden said.

Earlier on Friday morning, Radden said three water tankers were being brought in to boost supplies as the area was not connected to mains water sources.

He said he had not yet received a report on what had caused the fire or if was being treated as suspicious.

Maryann Adlam, who lives on nearby Gumfields Rd, was made aware of the fire at 6am when her husband returned from a neighbour's home after being alerted to the blaze at 2am.

Adlam said she had never seen a fire so close to her home and it was concerning, even more so if the wind was to change.

She said there were about half a dozen homes in danger of the fire.

Another resident, Phil Irving, woke at 3.30am and saw the flames from his window.

Police were in the area assisting with traffic control.

Four homes were evacuated overnight and there was nothing to suggest so far that the fire was suspicious, a spokeswoman said.

The Northland region has had a total fire ban in force since January 28 after experiencing a hot, dry summer with little rain.

At the time, principal rural fire officer, Myles Taylor, said 'we're reaching our trigger points'.

'It's getting very dry and we're noticing that fires that are escaping, they are getting harder to put out and so we're erring on the side of caution,' Taylor said.

'Any fires right now would be extremely dangerous.'