Fire crews fight massive forest fire in Manawatū

Six helicopters and more than 50 people fight the biggest forest fire Manawatū has seen in five years.

Teams rushed into the Manawatū Tangimoana forest on Ōroua Downs, about 30 kilometers west of Palmerston North, just after 6 p.m. Thursday after the vegetation ignited.

Smoke filled the sky that overshadowed Himātangi and Tangimoana, as helicopters dumped thousands of liters of water into the forest block along Lake Rd. Firefighters cut firebreaks on Friday.

Firefighters were forced to observe hell, starting in 5-year-old trees about 2 meters tall, spreading to older trees at night as an external attack would have been too dangerous, said Chief Rural Fire Officer Bradley Shanks . Stuff In the scene.

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“We couldn’t risk our crews. This is the first day that we have been able to get the ground crews in correctly to work.

“It is not controlled yet, but we are progressing very well with air assets and ground crews are beginning to fight the fire.”

Heavy machinery was used to cut firebreaks into the ground at night to stop the spread of the flames, but the fire had razed 40 hectares of the plantation by 7 a.m. This had expanded to 45ha at 11:30 a.m. and 53ha at 5:00 p.m. pm, and by then it was 95% controlled.

By then, helicopter operations ended for the day. Fire crews would remain at the scene overnight Friday.

Soldiers and aircrew from the army and air force were also called in to help with the firebreaks.

Helicopters from Kahu New Zealand, Rangitīkei Helicopters, Tararua Heli Work and Advanced Flight dumped 1000-liter buckets of water from the ocean and local water sources into the fire, and a black hawk dumped 3400l in a tablespoon.

It’s unclear how the fire started, but an investigator specializing in wildfires was called in, Shanks said.

He expected firefighters to be on the scene for at least seven days making sure the fire was completely out, with firefighters working to create 10-meter-deep blackout lines around the perimeter of the fire.

“We are really getting really dry now. We need people to look at old burns that they’ve had in the last month and not burn if not necessary. Wait until April. “

Near the command unit stationed in a nearby paddock, a 25,000-liter pool was being refilled for ground crews to extinguish the fire.

The fire appeared to be heading towards the coast, which would give the blaze new life, Shanks said.

“The forest has a buffer strip that is there solely to keep the sand dunes in place and protect the new trees that grow. Yes [the fire] go in there, because it is old wood, dry like anything else and without pruning, it will probably be necessary “.

A nearby neighbor, who did not want to be named, said she could hear helicopters and bulldozers rolling at night, working to control the flames.

“It was pretty scary to watch. The glare in the living room window was quite impressive.

“It’s pretty scary to see him so close to home.”

Shanks said multiple teams had called in firefighters from across the region to fight the blaze and ensure that local needs could be met.

“We don’t want to take resources away from cities. We want to keep our coverage in case something else starts. “

Smoke rose hundreds of meters into the sky as crews returned to fight the flames on Friday morning.

Fire and Emergency waited for the wind to pick up; however, this had not happened and conditions “look good.”

People were asked to be careful when passing Lake Rd so that emergency services could work safely.