Coromandel wildfire: Firefighting efforts affect residents’ water supply

A helicopter involved in battling a vegetation fire on Black Jack Rd, Kūaotunu in the Coromandel Peninsula. Photo / Coromandel's CFM / Supplied

Due to potential water contamination from firefighting efforts on the Black Jack fireground in Coromandel, property owners connected to the Tahunatorea Stream water supply are advised to switch off their intake.

The advisory follows information received from Fire and Emergency New Zealand and as a precaution, due to the potential introduction of saltwater and firefighting retardant into the water source.

Thames-Coromandel District Council (TCDC) is providing alternative freshwater services while water testing continues.

Council’s civil defence and emergency manager Brian Carter said, water testing is currently under way with council infrastructure contractor Veolia, according to NZ water standards.

“The samples are currently being analysed and is expected to be complete in the next 48 hours.”

Fire and Emergency’s incident controller Shane Bromley said, aerial operations to suppress the fire included using Class A foam, which had been used on the fireground outside Tahunatorea Stream’s watershed.

Fire and Emergency NZ fire fighters battling a vegetation fire on Black Jack Rd, Kūaotunu in the Coromandel Peninsula on Saturday night which continued on into Sunday. Photo / Coromandel's CFM / Supplied

“Residents were advised to disconnect their water intakes once aerial operations moved into that catchment.”

He said the advice for disconnecting water intakes is a standard measure until water test results have been received.

“The information provided by the manufacturers of the foam is that in its diluted form, as used on the fireground, it has no health impacts on humans or animals. It is fully biodegradable.”

In the meantime, Carter from TCDC said freshwater tankers, provided by a third-party contractor are ensuring affected residents have access to clean drinking water.

“These tankers will stay on-site throughout the water testing process and will continue supplying fresh water if any contamination is confirmed.”

Water testing is currently under way to determine if contaminants are present.

Meanwhile, firefighters continued to extinguish areas of “deep-seated” burning on the fireground today.

Crews have been battling strong winds and steep terrain to fight the fire at Kūaotunu, which broke out on Saturday.

Last night, a drone team identified a further 14 hotspots using thermal imaging, and these were targeted by ground crews today, with the support of a helicopter and monsoon bucket, Fire and Emergency said in an update this morning.

Malisha Kumar is a multimedia journalist based in Hamilton. She joined the Waikato Herald in 2023 after working for Radio 1XX in Whakatāne.