A vegetation fire across the road from a Whanganui petrol station was sparked when a helium balloon floated into powerlines.
Whanganui station officer Shane Dudley said a helium balloon had floated up into the powerline, popped and then dropped down onto the grass below, setting it alight.
Emergency services arrived the scene on London St opposite Z service station at about 2.15pm on Monday where a section of mesh covered grass was on fire.
![The balloon which sparked the fire.](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/VQU6HF6DBESJZVXQTTRBHJBIWE.jpg?auth=389ded5b836130328157b37f10861b69251441e1bcd9c2a5c20240b2a1e3fb5a&width=16&height=11&quality=70&smart=true)
"We just had to wait for the power to be isolated and make sure everyone was safe before we could proceed," Dudley said.