Police seek driver after crash near Whanganui brings down power lines and starts fire

Police are searching for a driver after a vehicle was abandoned at the scene of a crash at Whangaehu.

Police are working to identify the driver of a car that crashed and took down electrical lines, cutting power to 52 properties and starting a grass fire off State Highway 3 at Whangaehu, south of Whanganui.

A police spokeswoman said reports came in about 5.50am on Thursday of a car that had rolled into a paddock, but it was unclear when it had actually happened.

“There was no one with the car.

“There were power lines down and a small grass fire.”

Police were trying to contact the registered owner of the car, the spokeswoman said.

Fire and Emergency NZ shift manager Chris Dalton said two fire trucks from Whanganui went to the scene of the incident and were there for about an hour.

The car had gone off the road and taken down power lines, which meant firefighters had to wait for a power company to arrive before they could begin working at the scene, he said.

“We had to wait for the power to be isolated,” Dalton said

“There was nobody at the scene. We were able to put out the grass fire.”

A Powerco spokeswoman said 52 properties were affected by power outages caused by the fallen lines.

The power was estimated to be restored by 9.45am on Thursday, she said.

Hato Hone St John said it was notified of the incident but assistance was not required.

One lane of the highway was closed for a time but both lanes were back open by 6.40am, the police spokeswoman said.

Eva de Jong is a reporter for the Whanganui Chronicle covering health stories and general news. She began as a reporter in 2023.