Three vegetation fires in the Far North on Thursday evening have demonstrated how tinder dry the grass in Northland is.
The first two fires broke out about 3pm in Mōtatau south of Kawakawa.
Firefighters were called to paddocks on fire and the blazes soon stretched to 200m sq each, said Fire and Emergency shift manager Carren Larking.
With a nearby house under threat, a helicopter was called in to douse water on the home, working with firefighters on the ground from Kawakawa, Hikurangi, Whangārei and Kamo Stations.
The two fires took just under three hours to control, with the house saved, but a small shed on the property was lost to the blaze.