KEY POINTS:
Wairoa police and fire officers are investigating a series of suspicious fires that razed 38ha of forestry in 24 hours.
The blazes were dealt with at five different areas of Mohaka, said Wairoa principal rural fire officer Te Aroha Cook.
Firefighters were first called to Mohaka, 30km south of Wairoa, about 1.45pm on Sunday.
The blazes closed State Highway 2 for four hours and residents of one house near Kotemaori, 45km southeast of Mohaka, were forced to evacuate.
They were the worst in a series of fires in the area over the past few weeks and were fought by about 100 firefighters and forestry crews.
Eastern fire region manager Trevor Brown said about 15 fires in the past two or three weeks were being treated as suspicious.
"It's highly unusual for a situation like this - it's not what you would expect in Hawkes Bay at this time of year. It's still green so the weather is not extreme in terms of fire conditions at this stage."
Mr Brown said all the blazes were set in new forestry land, which would cost the region dearly.
- NZPA
