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The large wildfire in the Far North that resulted in the evacuation of more than 100 properties still requires “a lot of work,” according to Fire and Emergency NZ (FENZ).
On Tuesday, multiple crews and helicopters were called in after a fire engulfed the Gumfields Historic Reserve in Ahipara, at the southern end of Ninety Mile Beach.
Witnesses described seeing smoke and flames devastating the hill before reporting that the ashes were “raining down from the sky.”
Goalkeeper Medadane / Provided
More than 100 homes had to be evacuated due to a fire in Ahipara.
FENZ Incident Controller Rory Renwick said Thursday that the situation looks “quite positive at the moment” but that there is still “a lot of work to do”.
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* Far North Fire: Evacuated residents allowed to return home, but Ahipara fire continues to burn
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* Two seriously injured in an accident on State Highway 6, Marlborough.
While much of the fire has been tamed and residents have been able to return to their homes, Renwick said the crew is still “concerned” about the small fires that remain on the perimeter of the hill.
Jade Weaver / Supplied
The aftermath of the Ahipara fire.
“They can escape to unburned areas and cause the fire to spread,” he said.
The residents, most of whom sought comfort in the homes of close friends, have described themselves as fortunate to have “escaped without loss of life, loss of property or injury.”
For fire crews currently dealing with the aftermath, reaching the edges of the hill is not an easy task.
Renwick said crews are currently working on “very steep terrain” and have to cut tracks in various places to access hot spots.
Firefighters will focus on the perimeter hot spots for the next few days.
There is now a total fire ban across Northland.
