A fire that started in dry grass and sawdust in a Wanganui yard was caused by embers from an earlier fire 200 metre away in a Castlecliff scrap metal yard.
Both fires are now out.
The embers fell out of the thick black acrid smoke from burning tyres in Scrap Metal Wanganui's Rogers St yard.
The second fire, at Hoskins yard on Head's Rd, was brought under control about 11.30am by the two fire units that attended from the Whanganui Fire Service.
Senior station officer Bryce Coneybeer said investigations were continuing into the cause of the first fire that started just after 9.30am.
