Warning to not light fires
Strong wind and dry conditions combined make any fire a serious threat, including in residential areas. The warning comes after a fire tore through rural land on Whangamata Road north of Taupō last night, burning five hectares of scrub and bush over twelve hours.
The fire started about 6.00pm and about 35 firefighters from the New Zealand Fire Service and rural crews joined together to extinguish it. Three houses in the immediate vicinity were threatened by the fire but escaped unscathed. The cause of the fire is still being investigated.
Council Principal Rural Fire Officer Phil Parker says the wind is just too high to light a fire. "Fire will get away very quickly and the wind is just going to spread it," he says. He advises people to refrain from lighting any fires at this time.
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