Firefighters are dampening down a suspicious fire that tore through 1.6 hectares of south Auckland’s Māngere Mountain.
The blaze took a hold of a large area of “knee-high” grass near the mountain’s crater and rim area about 2.30am on Wednesday, Fire and Emergency assistant area commander Chris Delfos said.
The slow moving fire, which also burnt some pōhutukawa trees, could be smelt by residents across the region.
Delfos said five crews attended, and had difficultly accessing the fire, given it was a distance from the road.
Firefighters were tackling the fire overhead with helicopters and monsoon buckets, but as the fire had ben contained, they would begin mopping up the area with hoses from about 7am.
“It is suspicious because there are no ignition sources in the area, so we will be investigating.”
A police spokesperson said the fire was posing no immediate threat to the public, however advised people stay inside and close their doors and windows due to thick smoke in the area,
“The fire is being treated as suspicious and enquiries are underway,” they confirmed.
Stuff visual journalist and nearby resident Jason Dorday said he and his wife woke up to the smell of smoke about 4.30am.
At first, he thought the fire was in his house, but went outside and could see flames from the summit, so he got in his car and began filming.
He said a lot of locals were out and about, also woken by the smoke.
Mangere mountain is on fire. I can smell smoke in my bedroom.
— Kyla (@hopesanddreams) December 10, 2019
Source: Stuff
Featured Image: Monsoon buckets are being used on the fire.
