A blaze on two hectares of grass and scrub on farmland at Te Ore Ore, Masterton, took fire crews from around the region about an hour and a half to get under control yesterday afternoon.
The fire, which was reported 12.12pm, was attended by three appliances and a water tanker from Masterton, one appliance plus a water tanker from Carterton, rural crews from Mauriceville, Tinui, and Wainuioru, while Remutaka also fielded a rural unit, as well as providing a career truck to be on standby at Masterton station.
The fire appeared to have been caused by a fire in a rubbish hole that had been lit about some weeks ago during the wet weather, Masterton station duty officer Kevin Smith told the Times-Age.
“It’ll have been smouldering away since then, and got going again because of this heat.”
Smith said it took the firefighters a while to put the fire out due to the size of the area it had taken hold in, and it was fortunate that the wind hadn’t picked up.
Several hours later, crews were still dampening the area to ensure there weren’t any flare ups.
The incident is a timely reminder to anyone thinking of burning rubbish or light a fire “that it’s getting pretty dry out there and it’s really not worth the risk at the moment”, Smith said.
Before lighting a fire, go to www.checkitsalright.nz for a three-step guide as to whether it’s safe, and whether you’ll need a permit, while anyone who notices any suspicious smoke shouldn’t hesitate to call 111.
