Blaze costs $2m-plus

STILL BURNING: A helicopter with a monsoon bucket fights the Whareama fire. PHOTO/MIKE WARMAN

Fire crews are still chasing down and extinguishing hot spots in pine forests at Whareama, east of Masterton, 15 days after fire broke out and spread over nearly 200ha.

Although Juken New Zealand has stood down helicopters that used monsoon buckets to sweep over the fire, ground crews remain to deal with the underground hot spots as management continue to assess the cost of the blaze.

A helicopter mounted with an infra-red camera is still being used from time to time to locate the fires burning underground among the roots and stumps of pines.

At its height, the blaze was being fought by eight helicopters, a situation which meant skilled people with qualifications similar to air traffic controllers at airports had to be called in.

The company's general manager of forests Dave Hilliard said yesterday logistically the fire had meant a "highly organised process" had been put in train.

Known as CIMS - an acronym for Co-ordinated Incident Management System - the system is used widely by rural fire fighters but also by Civil Defence and other emergency services.

He said the cost of fighting the Whareama fire was well in excess of $1 million but when the loss of product was taken into account "you can more than double that".

On top of those losses, would be the cost of replanting.

Mr Hilliard said, looking at the value chain, the losses were equivalent to six jobs being lost.

The perimeter parameters of the fire are contained and Mr Hilliard said what is really needed to help firefighters is 30-50mm of rain.

Mr Hilliard said the district was no longer simply heading into drought.

"It's here now and everyone needs to be aware of that.

"We are heading towards Christmas and I hope people enjoy themselves but they must realise how dry things are."

Mr Hilliard said it would be quite some time yet before the full extent of the damage in the forest was determined.

Because much of the burning has gone underground, some trees that may look unaffected will eventually respond and "turn their toes up".