Paihia firefighters called to a late-night crash had to stop flames from the burning wreck spreading into bush and threatening a nearby house.
The Paihia Fire Brigade was initially called out to a car upside-down in a ditch on State Highway 11 near Opua about 12.10am on Sunday.
They were on their way when they received a second call saying the car was on fire and the flames were spreading into the bush.
![A police officer at the scene of the car crash. Photo / Supplied](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/INAUYO5FP7VG3522T2UA4Z3RUE.jpg?auth=2db96568dc60dce5e3d91c66fd0c126ae757ef098a4ce235a5716b90f3e72baf&width=16&height=15&quality=70&smart=true)
With only limited water available — the brigade's other appliance had been sent to a beach fire in Waitangi — firefighters doused the car to reduce the blaze, then concentrated on the bush to protect a house on the hillside above.