A fire in an excavator in the Grey Valley mid-afternoon yesterday is thought to have been caused by rats chewing the electrics.
Ngahere Volunteer Fire Brigade chief Tommy Daly said the machine, on farmland on Gowers Creek Road beyond Nelson Creek, had apparently not been going for some time and the fire started as workers were doing some maintenance and attempted to get it going.
"It probably hadn't been going for a while and I think the rats might have had a chew in there," Mr Daly said.
Getting to the fire proved a challenge because of the rough access but the brigade managed to get their appliance to the burning excavator. Firefighters used a ladder to get a pump down into a hole to draw water.
The brigade was at the fire for about two hours while the Ikamatua brigade stood by as back-up.
