Titahi Bay fire: Two helicopters battling large scrub blaze near Porirua, smoke ‘toxic’

A “huge” scrub fire in Porirua’s Titahi Bay overnight has reminded residents of a similar blaze in the area over a decade ago where more than 100 people had to be evacuated.

Last night’s blaze, which is still going today and expected to take two days to fully extinguish, had burned through 10 hectares by this morning.

Three helicopters and seven fire crews are fighting the scrub fire, but Fire and Emergency NZ (Fenz) have said no homes are at risk.

Fenz incident controller Nick Pyatt said today would be an important day to get on top of the fire.

“With the weather forecast for high winds tomorrow, we want to get as much of this fire out as possible.

“Our crews have done a great job to keep it contained to where they have, and now it’s a case of getting as much of it out as we can today.”

Resident Suzanne Whitehouse said her power suddenly went out about 11pm yesterday. She then got a call from a friend who lived nearby, asking if she had “looked up”.

“The sky was really red,” she told NZME. “We went outside and that’s when we could see smoke coming from Whitireia Park.”

Whitehouse went for a drive to see what was happening, and could see firefighters working to access the fire, which was in a tricky spot.

“It was quite involved at that stage . . . we were a bit worried that it might come over the hill.

“It was moving very fast.”

Whitehouse thought “the whole of Titahi Bay was out there” looking at the fire.

She had been living in the area in 2010, when a similar blaze broke out in the same area, sparking the evacuation of more than 150 people.

A 14-year-old was charged with arson over the earlier fire.

Today, Whitehouse could see and hear the helicopters and some smoke coming over the hill.

“With these conditions it’s quite hot and dry, and that wind probably hasn’t been helping very much.”

Smoke from the fire in Whitireia Park, at the northeast end of the bay near the golf course, is drifting into people’s houses from kilometres away.

Fire and Emergency NZ received a 111 call about 11pm on Thursday night and the first crews were on site six minutes later.

A Fenz statement said crews and specialist appliances from across Wellington had been called in, and two helicopters were on the scene from 6am to help fight the blaze.

The scrub fire started overnight in Titahi Bay.

The public was advised to stay away from the area and keep windows and doors closed.

Assistant fire commander Steve Hudson said crews had been at the scene all night, but the fire was still “burning quite well” in the middle of the park.

Winds overnight had been high. “It’s still quite strong now — it’s ... pushing the fire along quite well into the unburned area.”

Fears 50 houses were under threat overnight

“When we arrived ... we weren’t sure on the exact direction the fire was going to take. But if it had come up to the area that we were worried about, along the top of Gloaming Hill, there could have been as many as 50 houses that were at risk of burning.

He said “luckily” a wind change had steered the fire to the other side of the ridge.

Locals can see helicopters helping to fight the fire.

Crews had then been able to start working their way around both sides of the fire, while the helicopters would be using monsoon buckets from above.

The fire had gone to a third alarm, with 14 crews operating at one time overnight. Specialist rural crews and special appliances had been called in from throughout the Wellington district.

The estimated 10ha burned was a “huge area”, equivalent to many rugby fields, though it was difficult to say because the terrain was hilly.

Public advised to shut windows against ‘toxic’ smoke

Helicopters battle a large scrub fire in Titahi Bay, Porirua.

People are advised to stay away, keep windows shut and washing off the line.

“The smoke at the moment is still very, very strong and toxic,” Hudson said. Calls had come in from Hutt Valley and Wellington where people could smell the smoke in the early hours of the morning.

A specialist in rural fires would be investigating because it was not yet known how the blaze had begun.

That work could not begin until the fire was sufficiently under control.

“If anyone’s got any ideas about coming into the park, please stay away until we can get on top of the fire,” Hudson said.

To fully extinguish it was expected to take two days.

Windy conditions were making it difficult to contain the fire, the Titahi Bay fire brigade said in a Facebook post just after midnight.

“We have our crew along with other crews from around Wellington in attendance. Can we please ask everyone to stay clear of Gloaming Hill, Whitireia and surrounding areas so emergency services can access locations needed for emergency response.

“If you live near these locations, please close your windows to keep the smoke out.”

As of 12.25am, there was no threat to homes.

The Porirua fire brigade also warned people to keep windows and doors closed if they suffered from respiratory conditions or “just don’t like the smell”, because the smoke was blowing across the harbour.

No homes are at risk from the fire.

Porirua Mayor Anita Baker said locals should keep their windows and doors shut.

“I’m just down at Porirua at the moment and the smoke is all over the city going towards Wellington.”

Baker was grateful to all the firefighters, including volunteers and rural firefighters. “I can’t thank them enough.”

Meanwhile, in Canterbury, a grass fire also sparked up next to the Rangitata highway in Ashburton overnight.

Crews from Hinds, Rangitata and Willoughby attended and extinguished the fire by 2.40am, Fenz southern shift manager Bailey Wells said.