Fire threatens major Rotorua tourist attraction

Firefighters are battling sulphur and scrub fires threatening the tourist attraction Hell's Gate Thermal Park, near Rotorua.

Deputy chief fire officer John Booth said the blaze, which started at about 2.30am today, was particularly hazardous because of toxic fumes coming from the sulphur fires.

The tourist attraction will have to be closed to the public until firefighters can extinguish those fires, Mr Booth said.

"We've had to use breathing apparatus to extinguish the scrub fire because of all the sulphur fumes that are coming across, and they (firefighters) certainly will be wearing breathing apparatus while we deal with the actual sulphur fires."

Mr Booth said there was no danger the fumes would drift to any homes in the area or across to Rotorua.

"The wind's blowing the right way and blowing all the fumes even away from the main road."

Mr Booth said the scrub fire was contained and firefighters would now concentrate on the sulphur fires.

The tourist attraction's landscape would be slightly damaged as a result of the fire.

"It is going to change the shape a little but because the sulphur is yellow rock and while it burns it literally melts -- like if you can imagine plastic burning, it melts like that. So little hillocks will drop down into little molten ponds."

The cause of the fire was not but was not thought to be suspicious.

- NZPA