Fireworks believed to be responsible for Te Mata Peak blaze, now under control
Firefighters believe a significant blaze on Te Mata Peak, which is now under control, was caused by fireworks.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) Hawke's Bay Acting District Manager Glen Varcoe said: "We are not 100 per cent certain but it looks like fireworks may have been the cause of the fire".
Emergency services were called to the peak, which has been the site of several fires started by fireworks in recent years, at about 8.37pm this evening.
He said the fire had reached a size of 100m by 100m at the top of Te Mata Peak.
"The flames were visible from the bottom of Te Mata Peak so it was quite involved when we first arrived.
"Access was difficult but because it is at the top, there is not a huge amount of fire spread so they are able to contain it relatively easily."
They had eight appliances, two tankers and a command unit respond.
"All those resources were utilised to attack the fire and get it under control."
Just after 10pm, Varcoe said the fire was under control and appliances were starting to leave the scene.
"We will keep two appliances on the scene for another hour or two while they continue to dampen down. We will return in the morning and may need to get a helicopter in the morning to dampen down some of the hot spots we aren't able to get to from the ground."
He reiterated the importance of safety when using fireworks.
"It is about being aware of your surroundings, and having a means of extinguishment with you, so should something bad happen you have got a means to extinguish anything that might have caught fire," he said.
"It is easy for fireworks to get out of control and cause a bit of a nuisance for us. It doesn't matter how much rain, or how damp people think the area is, it doesn't take much for fireworks to kick off a fire in the district."
