Ground crews mop up after beach fire

A tractor was destroyed and several ancient pohutukawa trees were damaged to varying degrees in a fire at Port Awanui near Tikitiki that started on the beach on Monday and spread to scrub and vegetation over a 10-hectare area. The fire was still burning on Tuesday, fanned by gale-force south-westerly winds before being brought under control. Helicopters arrived “in the nick of time” a local told The Herald. Firefighters were back at the scene yesterday to deal with smouldering remains and flare-ups. A fire investigator went to the site yesterday. Picture supplied

A historic olive tree planted by East Coast identity Hosea Manuel in the mid-1850s has survived the fire that burned around 10 hectares at Port Awanui near Tikitiki this week.

However, several ancient pohutukawa were not so fortunate and were damaged to varying degrees.

Fire crews from Gisborne and Hicks Bay worked on the ground yesterday at the scene of the beach driftwood and vegetation fire and a helicopter with a monsoon bucket was called in to help deal with some flare-ups.

The fire, south of the Waiapu River mouth, covered an estimated 10 hectares of beachfront and adjacent vegetation.

It was reported that locals, disgruntled with delays to get forest debris removed from the beach, may have taken matters into their own hands, and set beach debris on fire.

A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokeswoman said a wildfire investigator was on the scene yesterday to try to establish how the fire started.

More than a dozen firefighters from the Eastland Fire Brigade in Gisborne and others from the Hicks Bay Fire Brigade, went to the scene in 4x4 vehicles yesterday.

“They worked over the fire ground on foot, dealing with any smouldering remains,” the FENZ spokeswoman said.

“A helicopter was used to help handle the flare-ups that happened overnight Tuesday,” she said.

“The ground crews worked through the day yesterday.”

There was relief when news came through that a historic olive tree planted at Port Awanui by East Coast identity Hosea Manuel (believe to be in the 1850s) survived unscathed.

The olive was planted on the northern side of the stream at the base of Omaewa Hill at Port Awanui. The fire was on the southern side.

“Thank goodness for that,” said Coast conservationist and local resident Graeme Atkins, who went to the fire scene again yesterday.

“It was planted on the site of his trading store and we are very relieved it has not been burned.

“If there had been a wind change during the fire, we would have lost it.”

Not so fortunate were at least six ancient pohutukawa trees that sustained varying degrees of damage.

“Some may recover, but there are others that will not make it, and I’m gutted about that,” Mr Atkins said.

“The pohutukawa got it bad enough with myrtle rust (fungal disease) and possums. The last thing they needed was a deliberately lit fire.”

Mr Atkins said the fire crews did an admirable job in dealing with the remains of the fire.

“They also had a digger working on the beach, turning over the smouldering logs so the foot soldiers could get in and put the remains out.

“The local people are very grateful for all the effort being made to put the fire out.”

Mr Atkins said there was a meeting at the beach yesterday morning about removing storm debris from the beach.

“It was decided that the debris would be cleaned up within the next two weeks.”