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A hundred properties have been evacuated overnight due to a large forest fire near the town of Ahipara, in the far north.
Several crews and helicopters were summoned to the fire at the Gumfields Historic Reserve, just south of the small town of Ahipara, at the southern end of Ninety Mile Beach around 5.45pm Tuesday.
Initially, around 40 properties in Reef View and Wharo Way were evacuated when the ‘uncontained’ fire ravaged an area one square kilometer in size.
But now that’s more than double, with 100 homes evacuated Wednesday morning, said Fire and Emergency NZ (FENZ) north shift manager Kaisey Cook. No houses caught fire.
READ MORE:
* Far North Fire: Residents flee their homes while the fire is ‘not contained’ overnight
Goalkeeper Medadane / Provided
Medadane Kipa, a resident of Ahipara, does not believe that her house was not destroyed as the fire was “massive”.
In a statement, FENZ said it is unclear how far the fire spread overnight or if it has grown in size.
“The first signs are that great progress has been made on the fire,” he said, however overnight conditions made the fire difficult to contain at times.
Do you live in the area affected by the fire? Contact [email protected] or call 09374 4752
There are currently 40 firefighters and six helicopters on site.
Those who have had to leave their homes can seek refuge in the local rugby club or the Roma Marae.
Goalkeeper Medadane / Provided
About 100 homes have been evacuated.
FENZ said it would have residents go home “when it is safe to do so.”
Reef View Rd resident Medadane Kipa said ash began “raining down” on the neighborhood half an hour after the fire started.
“I saw the big plume of smoke and I thought ‘woah, that’s close.’
After about half an hour, he left his home because it had become “too smoky” and then heard from a neighbor that they had been evacuated.
Jade Weaver / Supplied
The helicopters were forced to leave the fire when it got dark.
Kipa then went to a friend’s house on nearby Foreshore Rd, but they were later evacuated as well, so he spent the night at his father’s house in Kaitaia.
She was so worried about the fire that it was around 3 in the morning until she managed to fall asleep.
“I thought there was no way the houses weren’t going to burn. It was so close and it was huge. “
In the morning, a friend told her that all the houses were safe, news that made Kipa cry.
Jade Weaver / Things
Smoke comes out of the large forest fire in the Gumfields Historic Reserve near Ahipara in the Far North.
On Wednesday morning, the smoke was not as intense, he said, adding that he hoped firefighters were fine.
He planned to spend the morning feeding mincemeat and sausages from his father’s butcher shop to those who had been evacuated.
At 8 p.m. Tuesday, police officers told Jade Weaver, who is staying with her parents in Tasman Heights in Ahipara, that the fire was unpredictable and could get worse.
Weaver said Stuff the intensity of the fire appeared to be diminishing, but the police had told him that helicopters with rain pails could not work after dark.
Goalkeeper Medadane / Provided
Ahipara residents gather on the beach after being evacuated from their homes.
He had previously called emergency services after seeing smoke and flames.
“We saw the first helicopter come and dive into the ocean with a bucket of water, but we can’t see too much anymore because there is too much smoke.
“There is a lot of ash raining from the sky.”
Weaver said the fire was going up the hill quickly and “definitely made it to the top.”
“It is quite difficult to get to the place where the fire is, I am not sure what is available in terms of road access.”
The Far North is currently in a restricted fire season, meaning that the fire can only be started by those with a FENZ fire permit.
FENZ / Supplied
The helicopters collect seawater to deal with the fire.
Since December 14, FENZ has banned the use of private fireworks in the municipality of Ahipara and surrounding areas, due to hot, dry and windy weather conditions.
“These conditions increase the fire hazard and make a fire more likely to spread and start a wildfire,” said Chief Rural Fire Officer Myles Taylor.
In October, at least four houses in the Ahipara area were evacuated due to a bush fire that covered 10 hectares near the southern end of Ninety Miles Beach.
