Some Northland locals had a lucky escape after their vehicle overheated and caught fire this morning.
A video posted on the Te Kopuru Volunteer Fire Brigade's Facebook page shows a scrub fire in Glinks Gully, which erupted after the vehicle caught fire.
Fire Chief Barbara Searle told the
Herald
they were called to the fire around 7am this morning.
"A vehicle overheated and caught fire, and then about a hectare of scrub also caught fire," she said.
Searle said around six firefighters, with the help of a couple of helicopters, managed to get the fire under control within a couple of hours.
"We had a bit of a mop-up today and it is pretty well out now. We will just be monitoring for hotspots over the next couple of days.
"The people in the vehicle were fine. They managed to get their caravan off and pushed it away so it didn't catch fire too," she said.
"They were pretty gutted at losing their vehicle. They were just locals who had been camping down at the beach."
Crews from both Te Kopuru and Dargaville attended the fire.
The 19-year-old was found in a remote area in the hills of Upper Hutt.