Crews will return at first light to continue battling a large vegetation fire in “environmentally significant” scrub and wetlands in northern Waikato.
Eight helicopters, two fixed-wing aircraft and around 40 personnel have supported fire crews fighting the blaze off Island Block Rd near Meremere.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) incident commander Mark Tinworth said the fire has a perimeter of 11km and has burned through around more than 520 hectares, including the Whangamarino wetlands.
“It’s continuing to spread through the wetlands, but it’s not threatening any residential or commercial properties at present.”
Tinworth said Island Block Rd was now closed to all except emergency vehicles and urged people to avoid the area.
“There’s a lot of smoke coming off the burning areas, and we advise people to keep car doors and windows shut if they have to drive near the area.”
In an update at around 6.45pm, Tinworth said the fire was “not yet contained”.
“Crews will continue to monitor the fire overnight, with firefighting operations continuing at first light.”
The Department of Conservation says the Whangamarino wetland is an “extensive mosaic of swamps, fens, bogs and open water around the Whangamarino and Maramarua rivers”.
It is the second largest freshwater wetland in the North Island and is home to a range of native birds, fish and plants.
FENZ is working with the Department of Conservation and mana whenua to ensure cultural and environmental values are considered in firefighting tactics, said Tinworth.
“We’re working really hard to contain it as quickly as possible, but we are expecting it to take another day or so to bring it under control.
“This is a really beautiful part of the country with considerable environmental value, and we’re doing our best to prevent it from being destroyed.”
Water for the firefighting efforts was temporarily sourced from the local supply but is now being sourced from a pond on a local farm.
Investigators are on site today and the origin and cause of the fire are yet to be confirmed.
