Firefighters in demand with multiple call-outs

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Gisborne firefighters had been called out nine times in the 24 hours to 9am this morning. The calls included to a small fire in a work shed at the Patutahi Quarry on Tiniroto Road.

That call came in at 7.55am yesterday.

“Quarry workers raised the alarm and once power to the shed had been isolated we were able to get inside to tackle it,” a senior firefighter said.

“There was only minor damage caused to the shed’s rafters.

“The cause appeared to have been some sort of electrical fault.”

Fire and Emergency NZ Gisborne station sent an appliance and a water tanker, with another tanker dispatched from the Patutahi volunteer brigade.

At around 5.30pm last night

fire crews were called to a property in Gaddums Hill Road in the

city.

“A controlled burnoff of slash got away from the people doing it,” the senior firefighter said.

“We had an appliance and two water tankers there for about an hour dealing with it.”

Other calls in the 24-hour period included a call to put out some driftwood burning on the beach at Roberts Road, three false alarms and three medical calls.

“It was a busy day.”