Northland firefighters battling blaze in Whangārei Heads

Fire crews dampening down hotspots alongside the helicopter at the scene of a large grass fire in Whangārei Heads on Wednesday. Photo / Karina Cooper

A car driving through long Kikuyu grass on a private property sparked a fire that spread over four hectares in Whangārei Heads.

Two appliances from the Whangārei Heads and Onerahi volunteer fire brigades were called to the fire on the corner of Taiharuru Rd and McRae Rd, in Taiharuru, around 1.40pm on Wednesday.

A helicopter and a Hikurangi Volunteer Fire Brigade tanker joined ground crews at the scene to help extinguish the blaze - a feat that took close to four hours.

Smoke billowed from the property and spread across the Taiharuru peninsula and as far as 8km away in Parua Bay.

A helicopter and local firefighters are attending the fire that is on the peninsula at the end of Taiharuru Rd, near Taiharuru Bay, Whangarei Heads.

Photos and videos posted online by nearby locals showed a large plume of smoke rising into the air.

A strong 16kmp/h north-easterly wind helped fuel the flames and encourage the blaze to spread.

Whangārei Heads fire chief Paul MacDonald said it was started by a car's exhaust pipe as the vehicle was driven through long Kikuyu grass on the property.

"Just because it's winter doesn't mean there aren't still any fire risks," he said.

MacDonald said there were no concerns about the blaze potentially threatening a house on the property.

Firefighters were still on site dampening hot spots alongside the helicopter at 6pm.

Northland's fire brigades remain fully operational during Alert Level 4. However, firefighters will don PPE and will stick solely to their crews as part of strict social distancing rules.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) assistant area commander for Whangārei/Kaipara, Graeme Quensell, urged people to take extra care around their homes to, both, keep themselves safe and to avoid exposing emergency workers to any risks while on the frontline.

"Lockdown means there's an increase of people at home. Quite often families will return home to spend lockdown together, especially in the Far North, so there are houses full of people."

"That means more phones are on chargers, fires are going, heaters are on. Make sure your smoke alarms are working and you know what to do if they go off. Just be extra careful," Quensell said.