Firefighters fight blaze near Ahipara in Far North, homes evacuated

Firefighters from the Far North are fighting a large fire that burned more than 10 hectares of land near Ahipara.

The alarm was raised shortly after 12pm today after reports of a fire on Ngakuroa Rd, which is next to Roma Rd, just before the municipality of Ahipara.

There were several fires, although it was not known, at the time of publishing, if there was an initial fire that later sprang to other locations or several fires.

Six fire crews from the Kaitaia, Ahipara, Houhora and Mangonui brigades were fighting the fires, with the help of three helicopters, a New Zealand Fire and Emergency spokeswoman said.

They had three tanker trucks that supplied water as there were not many water sources in the area to use.

The spokeswoman said a team was working on a ridge to keep nearby houses safe.

Three nearby houses were evacuated, more as a precaution since at that time the flames are not endangering the houses.

More firefighters from nearby brigades were on standby if needed and last night, a fire control command center was on the way from Whangārei to help coordinate efforts.

Firefighters are about to use heavy machinery to help fight the fire and install firebreaks.

Police also placed a roadblock at the foot of Ngakuroa Rd to prevent people from coming to the site to “help.”

A spokesman at the scene said people coming to help could be more of a hindrance and a potential danger than help.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated, the spokeswoman said.