Large scrub fire at Whangape Harbour in the Far North treated as suspicious, firefighter says

Fire and Emergency was alerted to a large vegetation fire in Pawarenga on Friday night.

A blaze that burned through roughly 50ha of vegetation in the Far North is being treated as suspicious.

Firefighters were called to the fire burning on the shore of Whangape Harbour, near Warawara Forest Rd, south of Kaitāia on Friday night. They had to walk across farmland to reach the blaze as the lack of road access meant they were unable to use their trucks.

Northland fire incident controller Rory Renwick said the fire started on the steep terrain before decimating around 50ha of vegetation cover. It was brought under control by 5pm on Saturday.

Renwick said they were yet to determine how the fire started but based on current information, were treating it as suspicious. A fire investigator would be brought in once further information was available.

Four brigades from Broadwood, Kohukohu, Kaitāia and Ahipara were dispatched on Friday to battle the flames.

Ahipara fire chief Dave Ross had to drive around Whangape to locate the closest access point to the fire.

“We had to walk across some farmlands and constantly use our binoculars to scope the extent of the spreading fire,” he said.

Renwick said the fire did not pose any threat to the nearby houses since it made headway to the coast due to the wind direction.

The following day, two helicopters and local and forestry brigades successfully suppressed the fire.

“There are still active hotspots around the edges of the vegetation fire that we are now trying to extinguish.

“We also understand that some burned-off areas once were populated with trees such as kowhai and karaka which are usually held in high regard by the local iwi, who have expressed their concerns.”

Renwick said the fire was a reminder for the public to maintain caution during the restricted fire season. And for homeowners living near scrub areas, to ensure that their homes have some separation from scrub and “stuff that is flammable”.

Avneesh Vincent is the crime and emergency services reporter at the Northern Advocate. He was previously at the Gisborne Herald as the arts and environment reporter and is passionate about covering stories that can make a difference. He joined NZME in July 2023.