People at McLeod's Bay who realised that where there's smoke, there's fire, and reported smoke across the harbour at Takahiwai may have saved lives.
Ruakaka Fire Brigade station officer Jeff D'Ath said a grass fire at Takahiwai on Saturday afternoon had several elements with the potential for disaster - children playing with cigarette lighters, tinder dry grass and scrub, a total fire ban during the worst drought New Zealand has seen in over 60 years, no accessible water on tap and a break-down in communication.
Close to the area where the fire was taking hold was a house where an 84-year-old person in a wheelchair lived alone.
There were a couple of other twists to the incident, apart from the fact it had been reported from the opposite side of Whangarei Harbour, Mr D'Ath said. When firefighters arrived at the roughly 15 x 12 metres, fast spreading grass fire at about 4pm on Saturday they found a "massive" bucket brigade of people attempting to douse it.
"And good on them, they were doing the best they could, but the fire was starting to get away from them," he said.