Masterton firefighters were left frustrated in the wake of a hoax fire call yesterday.
Station officer Kevin Smith said a person called the fire brigade at 11.30am and gave an address in Hogg Cres, Masterton, saying a house was on fire.
"We investigated it. There was no fire or sign of fire. We have left the incident with the police. The police [are] speaking to the caller," Mr Smith said.
False calls were costly and could delay the brigade's response to genuine emergencies. "If we have a genuine call then we're obviously delayed because we're attending a call that's not genuine and it costs us money. There is quite a considerable cost to the Fire Service involved. For any property fire it's standard practice to send two appliances and crews."
