Two Central Hawke's Bay fires put 'huge strain' on crews

Two vegetation fires on the same Central Hawke’s Bay road have prompted a warning about the risk posed by old burn sites in windy conditions.

The simultaneous fires on Swamp Road near Ongaonga put a “huge strain” on the district’s firefighting resources today, Fire and Emergency Hawke’s Bay District Commander Glen Varcoe said.

Firefighters were called to the first fire about 9.25am, where tree stumps were burning across an area estimated to be about 500 metres long and 20 metres wide.

The cause of the fire was not yet known.

A second fire was reported about 10am after around three large burn-off piles spread into grass and blackberry.

At one stage, 22 fire appliances were working across the two incidents.

Varcoe said the strong winds increased the fires and made them particularly difficult to extinguish.

“We’ve got high winds, which not only increases the fire, but also makes it extremely difficult to put out,” he said.

He said accessing deep-seated fires in strong winds could expose embers, allowing them to be carried by the wind and increase the size of a fire.

MetService meteorologist Devlin Lynden said an orange strong wind warning was in place for Hawke’s Bay south of Hastings until 7pm today.

Severe gale westerlies were forecast to gust up to 120km/h in exposed places, while the strongest gusts recorded in Hawke’s Bay by early afternoon had reached about 90km/h.

Lynden said the strong winds were expected to continue through the afternoon before gradually easing this evening.

By about 2.30pm, both Swamp Road fires were under control, but crews remained at the scenes extinguishing deep-seated hotspots and ensuring they could not reignite in the wind.

Firefighters were also responding to other vegetation fires in Central Hawke’s Bay, including a re-ignited slash burn-off on Maharakeke Road near Waipukurau. Five appliances and three tankers were at that fire when Varcoe spoke to Hawke’s Bay News.

Many of those who spent the day battling the fires were volunteers.

“A lot of the crews are volunteers, so this is a day where our volunteers are away from their employment and families for the whole day fighting these fires,” Varcoe said.

He said the fires could be an early indication of what Hawke’s Bay might face during the coming El Niño summer.

“It’s early in the season and the conditions are potentially only going to get worse,” he said.

“It’s a good warning leading into a potentially busy season about how bad it can get quickly.”

Varcoe urged people in rural communities to ensure burn-offs were properly extinguished, never leave them unattended and be particularly vigilant during windy conditions.

Residents should check old burn piles and previous burn sites, turn over material to look for heat, smoke or embers, and fully extinguish any hotspots with water.

Anyone planning to light an outdoor fire should first check the conditions and whether a permit is required at checkitsalright.nz.