The perimeter of a North Waikato scrub fire has grown to 11km and burned through 520ha since it started Monday afternoon.
Fire and Emergency NZ (Fenz) crews have been battling the blaze in wetlands near Meremere.
Incident Commander Mark Tinworth said while the fire was spreading, there was as yet no threat to residential or commercial properties.
“Island Block Rd is now closed to all except for emergency vehicles and residents, so we urge people to avoid the area if they can.
“There’s a lot of smoke coming off the burning areas, and we advise people to keep car doors and windows shut if they have to drive near the area.”
Tinworth said residents with a roof water supply should disconnect the pipe to the tank if there was a lot of ash and debris on their roof.
The Whangamarino wetland is a Department of Conservation area of environmental significance.
“We’re working really hard to contain it as quickly as possible, but we are expecting it to take another day or so to bring it under control,” Tinworth said.
“This is a really beautiful part of the country with considerable environmental value, and we’re doing our best to prevent it from being destroyed.”
Water for the fire trucks and helicopter buckets was temporarily sourced from reticulated supply but was now being drawn from a farm pond.
Fire investigators were at the site on Tuesday and the origin and cause of the fire were yet to be confirmed.
Tinworth said Fenz was working with businesses, including a Rocket Lab test facility, to make sure they had plans in place for removing any dangerous material if the fire got too close to those locations.
A Rocket Lab spokesperson said the company operated a small facility in Waikato for “test operations”.
“We have been advised by Fenz that the fire does not pose a threat to our operations currently.
“The wind is blowing in the opposite direction to our site at this stage and that’s not expected to change.
“We’ll continue to follow the advice of Fenz as they work to extinguish the blaze.”
According to Rocket Lab’s website, the company’s Waikato location is “home to Rutherford engine testing and supports other [research and development] propulsion and technology development”.
Orica, a commercial explosives and blasting solutions company, also has facilities in the area.
In a statement, an Orica spokesperson said the company was “closely monitoring the fire”.
“At this stage, there is no risk to our facility, which houses critical products for the mining and civil infrastructure industries in New Zealand.
“Our priority is the safety of our people and the communities in which we operate, and we take a rigorous, best-practice approach towards safety.”
The spokesperson said Orica would continue to work closely with relevant authorities.
One Maramarua resident told the Waikato Herald there was “quite a lot of smoke” in the air.
”You can see the ashes on our car.”
She said she had to pick up her grandson from school after midday because of the smoke.
”It’s been huge. It is huge.”
Another resident said the fire had grown overnight.
”The sky was bright orange,” she said. ”It just looks out of control.”
The area around Island Block Rd has a low fire danger rating, according to the Fenz website. At present, the lighting of fires in the area is allowed without a permit.
Police said Fenz had notified them of the fire about 2.40pm yesterday, but police assistance was not required.
DoC said staff were aware of the fire.
“The fire appears to have started on private land, but has now moved to conservation land.”
“Fenz is responsible for the fire management, but we are providing support and advice regarding conservation values of the wetland.
According to DoC’s website, Whangamarino Wetland is a 7000ha mosaic of swamps, fens and peat bogs.
More to come.
Malisha Kumar is a multimedia journalist based in Hamilton. She joined the Waikato Herald in 2023 after working for Radio 1XX in Whakatāne.
Maryana Garcia is a Hamilton-based reporter covering breaking news in Waikato. She previously wrote for the Rotorua Daily Post and Bay of Plenty Times.
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