Bonfire lit too close to toi toi

A RUNAWAY bonfire near State Highway 2 at Taratahi yesterday had been lit too close to a shelterbelt of toi toi and trees in dry, windy conditions, principal rural fire officer Phill Wishnowsky said yesterday.
Sparks from a rubbish burn-off blew across to nearby toi toi, which caught fire.
Two fire engines, one from Masterton and one from Carterton, attended the fire soon after 8am, and stayed until 9.30am to extinguish the blaze.
"It was too big a pile of rubbish too close to the shelterbelt," Mr Wishnowsky said.
"The wind made sure that the sparks carried to the toi tois."
Mr Wishnowsky said the fire reinforces his warning last week about the need for care in lighting rural fires.
"Conditions are extremely dry, and very volatile," he said.
Mr Wishnowsky said he is considering reintroducing a restricted fire season for Wairarapa.
"Incidents like the one this morning show we need people in that rural environment to act responsibly, and if they don't, we'll have to do it for them, even though we'd prefer not to."
Garry Baker, rural fire officer in Carterton, said the landowner, Paul Reid, "burns there quite regularly".
"He's usually pretty good," Mr Baker said. "He rings and says he's got a fire to light and the conditions are right ? He's done it many times."
Speaking at the site of the fire yesterday, Mr Reid said sparks from the fire had ignited the toi toi.
Mr Reid's wife, Diana Reid, said they are under contract to Juken New Zealand Ltd to dispose of rubbish.
"We've done it six or seven times in the past year and this has not happened before," Mrs Reid said. "With no rain, everything is just so ignitable."
Mrs Reid said they had rung the head office in Wellington, and Mr Baker in Carterton, to let them know they were lighting the fire.
"It's just amazing how it can get out of control."
Mrs Reid said young Jacob had asked: "Mum, are the cows getting cooked?"
She said so far this month, the farm had had 3mm of rain, compared with about 70mm for May last year.
Mrs Reid said "this year is the first time, with it being so dry", that the fire had spread.
She said she had been about to phone the fire brigade but Mr Reid had told her by cellphone that the engines, alerted by a passing motorist, were already on their way.