A vegetation fire which broke out in Whangārei yesterday is “under control”, a day after the blaze led to evacuations of nearby homes.
Incident controller Denis Cooper said crews would be standing down for the evening at 8pm.
Several crews will return ion Saturday morning to extinguish the remainder of the fire and dampen down hotspots.
“It’s been a big effort for our firefighters – who are both career firefighters and volunteers – and they’ve done a great job,” Cooper said.
“We also appreciate the support of our community, and all the kind messages.”
Residents of two homes were evacuated yesterday but were allowed to return to their properties today.
Fire and Emergency said it was notified of a fire on Whangārei Heads Rd between Onerahi and Tamaterau shortly after midday yesterday.
Incident controller Graeme Quensell said in a 2pm update that the fire is now 14ha with a perimeter of 1.7km.
“There are around 40 firefighters working to control the fire, and we had two helicopters in the air supporting us this morning.”
Fire investigators are at the site today as they work to determine the cause of the fire.
At its peak, 10 trucks and five helicopters were on scene to battle the 20ha blaze.
In a statement earlier this morning, Quensell said ground crews would now focus on “getting a containment line around the fire”.
Quensell said there were no expected road closures today, but urged caution to motorists as there would be many firefighters working in the area.
“Te Tai Tokerau Northland moves into a restricted fire season from 8am today, Friday, 10 January,” he added.
This meant anyone wanting to light an outdoor fire would need a fire permit authorised by Fire and Emergency, which can be applied for online.
Quensell said he hoped introducing these restrictions would help FENZ avoid further wildfires.
“The last thing we want is another fire like this on our hands this weekend, so if you want to light a fire outside, you must go to checkitsalright.nz to see what the fire restrictions are for your location. There’s also important safety information available there.
“We really appreciate the kind messages and support we’ve had from the community, and the patience people have shown in keeping away from the area so we can work.”
