Bay of Plenty: Scrub fire contained near State Highway 2 at Apata

Firefighters are dampening down hotspots after a major scrub fire on State Highway 2, between Ōmokoroa and Katikati.

Fire and Emergency received multiple calls to a large vegetation fire along the railway line in Wainui South Rd about 12.40pm.

Incident Commander Bill Pike said in a statement shortly after 3pm the fire was contained and six fire trucks from Greerton, Ōmokoroa, Katikati and Tauranga were dampening down hotspots. No evacuations were required.

“The fire is in bush and scrub and is approximately 700 metres on either side of the train track,” Pike said.

“There are road closures in the immediate area, but State Highway 2 remains open.

“We ask people to stay away from the area so emergency services can carry out their job safely.”

A spokesperson previously said the fire was about 1.5km along the train track.

“State Highway 2 near the intersection with Wainui South Rd is closed because hoses are across the road.

KiwiRail has temporarily closed the East Coast Main Trunk line between Apata and Whatakao due to a trackside vegetation fire, said upper North Island regional infrastructure manager Jake Barbarich.

“As a precaution, two freight trains have been halted and will remain stationary until further notice.

“With safety as our top priority, we are working closely with Fire and Emergency New Zealand, and once they confirm the area is safe, our teams will conduct a thorough track inspection before reopening the line.

“We appreciate everyone’s patience as we ensure the safety of the public, our people, customers and operations.”

The fires seen from Wainui South Rd. Photo / Hayden Bowles

A witness told Sunlive the fire was “growing quickly off SH2”.

The caller, who also sent in the video of the fire, said they had driven in the opposite direction earlier and the fire had grown a lot since their return 10 minutes later.

They said the fire was near the road and they could feel the heat from the car.

“It was close enough to keep your heart rate up,” they said.

They said traffic is backing up, making the situation more uncomfortable.

Initially, a large cloud of smoke was reported near SH2, and SunLive received calls reporting the smoke was near Wainui South Rd, just past Apata.

A witness told SunLive she could see smoke.

At 1.25pm a caller said: “There’s a fire just north of Apata on SH2 near Wainui South Rd”.

“We saw four to five fires amongst the scrub and bush land. It’s a nice fine day,” they said.

This photo is looking down from Wainui South Rd. Photo / Hayden Bowles

“There are plenty of appliances on the way, which passed us as we headed towards Tauranga.

“The fire hasn’t affected SH2 traffic just yet.”

A social media post said: “It’s grass and trees opposite where they are doing the roadworks. They’re definitely going to need a few fire trucks”.

Bay of Plenty local Hayden Bowles was heading down Wainui South Rd when he saw smoke. He was told the road was closed and turned around and used Esdaile Rd to get out, which goes back towards Whakamārama.

He said many fire engines, police vehicles and ambulances were heading to the scene.

A police spokesperson said Fire and Emergency New Zealand is the lead agency dealing with the fire.

People are advised to avoid the area if possible.

More to come