A forest fire near Napier has spread to 300 hectares.
A NZ Fire and Emergency spokesperson at the scene said fire crews were expecting the fire to spread overnight.
“It’s grown to more than 300 hectares overnight which is to be expected given the wind conditions, we’ve got 70 firefighters on the ground working on building containment lines.”
He said seven helicopters and two planes were working on “water bombing” activities and retardant lines have been set up to reduce the speed of the fire.
Firefighters are urging drivers to stay away from Tangoio Settlement Rd as it is being used as the main access to the fire.
“Unless you have urgent reasons, please stay away from the area.”
One residential remains evacuated and is “fully protected” but no others are at risk at this point.
The spokesperson said the fire was heading in a north-east direction, but said there was a predicted wind change later on Tuesday.
“The wind is coming from a more southerly direction which might change things a bit, but we’d rather it wasn’t windy,” he said.
“The wind has been the main issue with the fire spread.”
The cause of the blaze is yet to be determined.
The fire has also spread onto a forestry block belonging to Pan Pac.
The Metservice recorded wind speeds of up to 78km an hour at Hawke’s Bay Airport yesterday afternoon, but said the westerly winds would have been stronger in coastal areas.
Meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane said wind conditions would still remain gusty with south-westerlies hitting speeds of 30-40km an hour throughout Tuesday.
“The gusts could reach up to 45-50km an hour this morning until the afternoon and as the evening goes on they’re expected to drop,” she said.
Firefighters, backed by aircraft, struggled to control which began after 11am on Monday morning.
Pan Pac managing director Doug Ducker said an estimated 200 hectares of the company’s Shinoda Forest, planted with five-year-old trees, had been affected.
“No Pan Pac structures have been impacted.”
On Monday night the fire was at 140ha, and Hawke’s Bay NZ Fire area commander Ken Cooper told Stuff the fire was “not under control” and aerial operations will be working to contain the blaze until 9pm.
The Bayview volunteer brigade was called out to Tangoio in the early hours of Tuesday morning to assist with exposure protection. An update on the Facebook page explained the sirens were necessary for the 5am call to “reach/alert all our volleys”.
Cooper said there was no immediate risk to Waipatiki residents or to their properties and fire teams would be monitoring the situation overnight to ensure the safety of anyone in the area.
One residential property is in the path of the flames, but firefighters have managed to put “structural protection” around the property in a bid to protect it. The occupants have been evacuated and there is no life risk.
The Tangoio area is in a restricted fire season and has a “moderate” fire risk according to the FENZ website.
A staff member at the Waipatiki Beach Holiday Park said the mood was calm and the fire didn’t appear to be “dampening any spirits.”
“We’ve been kept pretty well informed of the situation,” he said.
Hawke’s Bay Regional Council climate scientist Dr Kathleen Kozyniak said last month’s rainfall at that station was 87 per cent of its average December rainfall.
“Anything within 80 per cent is considered within the “normal range”. It follows a dry November, which saw the (nearest weather) station receive only 41 per cent of the November average rainfall,” she said.
“The last time it had some decent rain was Christmas and Boxing Day (about 23mm total). Soil moisture isn’t looking too bad though in term of typical levels for the time of year.”
Kozyniak said the current soil temperature was sitting at approximately 24 per cent – the January average would be about 15 per cent (dating back to 2011).
“Things might be a touch drier towards the coast where the fire is,” she said.
