Emergency services busy: Fire in woolshed near Napier, Coastguard, rescue chopper in action

Firefighters from four units in Hawke’s Bay have spent more than two hours at a fire understood to have started as a woolshed fire off State Highway 5 northeast of Napier.

The fire was reported at 2.31pm to Fire and Emergency New Zealand, appliances from Napier taking about 25 minutes to reach the scene, about 35km from Napier, joining volunteer firefighters from Te Pohue and Bay View, with tanker support from Hastings.

A Napier officer said there were two appliances and a tanker from Napier and one appliance and a tanker from each of Bay View and Hastings.

Fire and Emergency NZ central fire communications shift manager Murray Dunbar said the woolshed was reported significantly on fire at the time of the call.

The fire was away from the main road and did not affect traffic, which was rated as moderate to steady in both directions between the two Robbie Williams concerts, on Saturday and Sunday, at Mission Estate, Taradale.

The fire was the latest of a series of emergencies in Hawke’s Bay since Friday afternoon, including a two-vehicle crash north of Tangoio on State Highway 2, resulting in a man being flown to Waikato Hospital by the Taupo-based Greenlea Rescue Helicopter on Saturday, in a critical condition.

The crash was reported about 1.15pm on Saturday and a detour was available for traffic, including that headed to the Saturday concert.

Coastguard Hawke’s Bay attended several incidents assisting boats and crews, including an operation lasting more than four hours on Friday afternoon after a boat with four people aboard washed ashore in heavy seas off remote Tait’s Beach, between Whirinaki and Waipatiki.

Coastguard spokesman Henry Van Tuel said a lifesaving IRB and crew were also taken on the mission, but the seas prevented the people being taken aboard and the rescue was effected by helicopter.