Far North fire: Evacuated residents allowed home
People evacuated because of a large bushfire in the Far North are being allowed home, but they have been warned to be ready to leave again at short notice.
More than 100 properties were evacuated overnight on Tuesday after a blaze took hold in the Gumfields Historic Reserve, just south of Ahipara.
Multiple crews and helicopters were first called to the fire at the southern end of Ninety Mile Beach about 5.45pm on Tuesday.
Yesterday, Fire and Emergency NZ (Fenz) said the fire had burnt through about 56 hectares. About 40 crew members were still on the ground, supported by six helicopters.
Incident controller Rory Renwick said it was safe for residents of Foreshore Rd, up to and including Tasman Heights, to return to their homes.
‘‘For the other residents, mainly those on Reef View Rd, we will continue to review the areas around their homes and let them back in when it is safe to do so.’’
Fenz was asking people in the area to stay away from the beach and the area around the fire while firefighting operations continued.
Those who had to leave their homes spent the night at a local rugby club and Roma Marae.
Far North Mayor John Carter said the fire was a ‘‘warning’’.
‘‘Fortunately, we’ve escaped without loss of life, loss of property or injury this time. Every resident and every visitor to Northland has a responsibility to make sure this sort of thing doesn’t happen again.’’
He paid tribute to the ‘‘outstanding’’ work by Fenz: ‘‘Without their intervention I shudder to think what might have happened.’’
He called on Northland residents and visitors to follow fire safety instructions from Fenz, saying that to do otherwise was ‘‘foolhardy and dangerous’’.
Yesterday, Fenz brought in a total fire ban for Northland.
‘‘We want to take every step possible to reduce the risk of potentially dangerous fires, like we are dealing with at Ahipara,’’ principal rural fire officer Myles Taylor said.
In October, at least four homes in the Ahipara area were evacuated due to a scrub fire covering 10ha near the southern end of Ninety Mile Beach.