Three big fires in three years: Ahipara fires must be stopped before lives are lost, says fire chief

It’s only a matter of time before homes or even lives are lost in Ahipara, unless locals understand the danger they are in, says the Northland Rural Fire Marshal.

Firefighters are still in a major wildfire that swept through nearly 60 hectares of native bush and shrubbery and forced the evacuation of up to 100 homes.

Flames more than 10 meters high advanced a few meters from some houses, but none were destroyed, thanks to firefighters who remained on guard throughout the night.

Some evacuees were allowed to return home around 11:30 a.m. today, but others had to wait because rising winds and temperatures increased the risk of an outbreak.

Northland Rural Chief Fire Officer Myles Taylor, who had just imposed a total fire ban that day, was visibly frustrated.

“This is the third consecutive year that we are here. This is the third year we evacuated houses. This cannot continue to happen. At some point we will not be able to get here in time and we will lose property or even lives. The community must understand the risk they are running. ”

The cause of the latest fire is still being investigated, but previous wildfires have been caused by people burning trash, often in violation of fire restrictions.

The fire started around 5:45 p.m. Tuesday at the Gumfields Historic Preserve on the ridge above the city.

It spread quickly through a dry scrub like tinder. The homes on Reef View Rd, Tasman Heights Drive and Panorama Lane were in particular danger.

Volunteer firefighters came from all corners of the Far North, backed by six helicopters filling rain buckets from the sea.

Tessa Pohio, who was on vacation in Auckland with 20 friends and whānau, was among the evacuees.

” The children were scared but for us it was exciting. We all went to the beach to watch. But he got serious when a firefighter came up to us and said, ‘They’re not being evacuated right now, but if they do, they’ll only have 10 minutes to get out.’ ”

Twenty minutes later they had to flee, leaving behind a dinner of crawfish, kahawai and lamb.

A line of fire was moving up the hillside and ash fell around the house, he said.

Phelan Pirrie, a Muriwai firefighter on vacation in Ahipara, helped local volunteers fight the blaze.

” The flames were over 10 meters high. When the scrub reaches a certain temperature, it turns red hot and explodes. The sound is like a jet engine. We also had some fiery tornadoes. It was crazy ”.

Ahipara Rugby Club opened its doors to evacuees, providing shelter, food and cups of tea to up to 50 people at a time.

Longtime club member Jaqi Brown knew that people would need help as soon as they saw the fire.

” I saw him licking the hill and I thought, ‘There are people who won’t be able to get home tonight.’

Volunteers came to help as the Salvation Army, Te Rarawa and others donated kai.

“In times of crisis, you just jump in and do what you need to do,” Brown said.

More than 70 people spent the night in the Roma Marae.

The helicopters returned to work at first light around 5.30am.

At 9 am, the incident controller, Rory Renwick, said the fire had covered 56ha but was 95 percent contained.

About 40 people – New Zealand Fire and Emergency, forestry and DOC crews – were fighting the flames on the ground.

At 11:30 a.m., Foreshore Rd partially reopened and Tasman Heights residents were able to return home.

Others, however, are still waiting.

Since wind and temperatures are expected to rise in the late afternoon, there is the possibility of extreme fire behavior, which would be impossible to control, Renwick said.

Firefighters were likely “chasing hot spots” for several days.

He urged anyone with information on how the fire started to call police at 105 or FENZ at (09) 486 7949.

Far North Mayor John Carter praised the efforts of the firefighters, saying the fire showed how dangerously dry Northland was.

Fortunately, we have come out with no loss of life, loss of property or injury, but all Northland residents and visitors have a responsibility to make sure these kinds of things do not happen again. It is a massive warning. ”

Taylor said that Fenz simply showing up and putting out fires in Ahipara would not solve the problem.

” It has to be a partnership with the community and they must be vigilant. These fires move very, very fast. My biggest fear is that we are going to lose property or lives. ”