Northland bush fire in Ahipara that evacuated homes treated as suspicious

A Far North wildfire that tore through 5ha of bush and came within 2m of beachfront homes is being treated as suspicious.

The fire started when an abandoned crashed vehicle was set alight down a bank in Ahipara's Shipwreck Bay (Te Kōhanga) at about 1am on Friday.

Strong wind gusts then propelled the fire down the hillside towards six beachfront properties whose residents had to be urgently evacuated as the flames closed in.

Fortunately, Te Kōhanga campground owner and manager Tania Te Paa had already begun rousing residents from their sleep to alert them to the situation.

Ahipara resident Lennox Goodhue Wikitera, 15, was at his home a 10-minute walk away from Shipwreck Bay when he awoke at 1am and saw a post on Facebook about the fire.

"I went outside and saw the flames on the hill … it looked like a Christmas tree."

The fire closed in on beachfront homes that were evacuated overnight. Photo / Ahiparadise - Photography by Lennox Goodhue Wikitera

Wikitera quickly rushed to the aid of his aunties and cousins who were staying at his great-grandparents' house in the path of the spreading fire.

"The wind meant the fire was moving quickly towards us so we started throwing all the flammable items down the hill – we threw petrol cans and the motorbikes."

Using a garden hose they doused the scrub at the back of the home to prevent it burning.

"It was quite hard to breathe as ash was falling down so we evacuated by driving down to the beach where we parked a safe distance away."

Firefighters at the scene of a large wildfire that tore through the hillside of Shipwreck Bay in the early hours of Friday morning. Photo / Ahiparadise - Photography by Lennox Goodhue Wikitera

Wikitera could feel the heat from the blaze even as they drove past.

Once safely on the beach, the founder of photography business Ahiparadise then whipped out his camera and caught dramatic footage of the 35 volunteer firefighters from Ahipara, Kaitāia, Mangonui, Broadwood, Houhora, and Karikari battling in the dark for four hours to bring the fire under control.

"It was getting worse and worse," Wikitera said.

"We thought it was the end of my great-grandparents' house and started to cry."

Fire appliances tackle the blaze from the beachfront. Photo / Ahiparadise - Photography by Lennox Goodhue Wikitera

Ahipara fire chief Dave Ross said the fire had surrounded four homes of the total 12 houses in the popular bay, getting as close as 1.5m away.

"It was a big blaze when we arrived, it was really going for it," he said.

Fortunately, the "amazing" work by the cohesive crews meant no structures fell victim to the fire and evacuated residents were able to return home at about 8am.

Despite the close proximity of the flames to several homes, no structures were damaged thanks to the "amazing work" of the firefighters. Photo / Ahiparadise - Photography by Lennox Goodhue Wikitera

"We were good enough that not even a guttering was lost which can usually happen when a fire gets that close to a structure," he said.

Fire and Emergency Incident Controller Scott Marchant said the fire was contained by 6am and ground crews, supported by two helicopters, dealt with smouldering vegetation and small flare-ups.

The suspected arson is a blow for Ahipara, as the coastal community has been relentlessly plagued by alleged firebugs responsible for 12 suspicious fires in seven months from October 2020.

The fire tore through around 5ha of vegetation at the popular surf spot, Shipwreck Bay. Photo / Ahiparadise - Photography by Lennox Goodhue Wikitera

Of those, five fires have destroyed baches along the coast to the south of Ahipara with the first bach having been decimated in December that year.

Then followed a 26-hectare scrub fire a few ridges back from the baches along the coast tailed by another scrub fire at Mukurau Beach, and multiple car fires.

A firefighter dampens down a hotspot on the hillside above Shipwreck Bay, near Ahipara. Photo / Fire and Emergency NZ

Wikitera, who has only known Ahipara as home, described the ongoing arsons as "quite disturbing".

"It puts everyone at risk and makes everyone feel unsafe," he said.

Plus it threatens the environment many community groups, such as the Ahipara Coastal Patrol, devote their time to protect and it puts volunteer firefighters on the line, Wikitera added.

Ahipara fire chief Dave Ross says the blaze "was going for it" when firefighters arrived shortly after 1am. Photo / Ahiparadise - Photography by Lennox Goodhue Wikitera

Police have asked anyone with information or who saw any suspicious activity in the area late on Thursday night or early on Friday morning to phone 105 and quote file number 220121/8072.

Alternatively, people can anonymously phone Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.