Coromandel wildfire: Firefighters continue to extinguish areas of deep-seated burning

Firefighters continue to extinguish areas of “deep-seated” burning on the Black Jack fireground on the Coromandel Peninsula today.

Crews have been battling strong winds and steep terrain to fight the fire at Kūaotunu, which broke out on Saturday

Photos released by Fire and Emergency NZ this morning showed the extent of the fire damage to the area and the burning was described by Fire and Emergency as “deep-seated”.

Department of Conservation firefighters who have been on the Black Jack fireground in Kūaotunu on the Coromandel Peninsula. Photo / Fire and Emergency

Last night a drone team identified a further 14 hotspots using thermal imaging, and these will be targeted by ground crews today, with the support of a helicopter and monsoon bucket, Fire and Emergency said in an update this morning.

Incident controller Shane Bromley said the areas where crews will work are on difficult to reach terrain.

Black Jack Rd will be closed all day, with access for residents and essential traffic for 15 minutes every hour, on the hour.

Fire and Emergency also reminded the public not to fly drones in the area.

Black Jack fireground in Kūaotunu on the Coromandel Peninsula. Photo / Fire and Emergency

“Helicopters and drones are a deadly combination, so if we see unidentified drones in the air, all our firefighting aircraft have to land immediately for safety.”

Bromley described “arduous conditions, working on steep slopes in high temperatures”.

Yesterday three crews from the Department of Conservation worked alongside firefighters from the Kūaotunu Volunteer Fire Brigade and Whangapoua Volunteer Fire Brigade.