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Matakana Island Fire: Five Helicopters and Five Crews Fight Fire For 8th Day

21/12/2020

Five helicopters and five rural firefighter crews are still fighting the fire on Matakana Island today, eight days after it started. Those fighting the fire are being praised by a former resident of the island who said the blaze had been "devastating" to watch.

A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesman said the extent of the damage, and how long they would need to stay on the island, was unknown. Homes were not currently at risk and the fire had been all forestry.

Today rural firefighters from Te Puke, Lake Okareka, Lake Tarawera and Okere Falls were on the island which was "still on fire". MetService meteorologist Tom Adams said it would be more humid with a few showers tomorrow but there would also be moderate winds in the morning. The winds will pick up again on Wednesday and Christmas Eve will be a wet day which might offer some relief with an estimated 20mm to 30mm of rain.

On Saturday, smoke was seen billowing after the fire jumped a fire break causing it to resurge. The fire initially started on December 13. Smoke was seen from around the city, with an Otumoetai resident reporting fine ash falling on his Grange Rd property.

On Sunday, two helicopters, three ground crews and two bulldozers were involved in the efforts.

Tauranga resident Rachael Garrett grew up on the island and said watching it burn was "devastating" and a "shock". Garrett was on the island the day before the initial blaze with her in-laws who she had taken for a drive down the beach and she had mentioned that in all her years there had never been a fire. "The very next day we had a fire, and that was devastating. I couldn't believe it."

On the Saturday the blaze reignited, and she headed out on the water and looked at where the fire had been the week prior and said there was no smoke. "From the time it took for me to get from that side of the island, back up Hunter's Creek, all of a sudden there was a whole lot of smoke." Within 40 minutes, the helicopters had arrived. "I just found them absolutely amazing, they were constantly going."

Matakana Island is also the home of the Department of Conservation's dotterel breeding programme. The dotterel is an endangered small shorebird found only in New Zealand, with only 2500 birds left. The programme was initially set up in 1992, and has led to more than 300 successfully fledged chicks over that time. The relative isolation of the island's beaches is a key element in the successful breeding, making it one the country's top breeding sites.

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Matakana Island Fire: Crews Battling Blaze One Week On

20/12/2020

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A fire on Bay of Plenty's Matakana Island is still burning a week after it started.

Last Sunday, a large fire burned for more than 24 hours on the island and crews remained on scene all week but it flared up again on Saturday. Matakana Island sits 2km off the coast of Tauranga and is home to nearly 200 people.

This morning, more than 80 firefighters were battling the blaze with three fresh crews from as far away as Ngāruawāhia brought over by ferry, as well as five helicopters.

Principal rural fire officer Steve Webb said the fire, which was burning through a forestry block, increased from 19 hectares to about 40ha after it flared up. Webb said the fuel source was making it difficult to get it under control. "What we have is a problem where lots of fuel that hasn't burnt through and burnt properly, and it hasn't been consumed properly," he said. "So it is still smoldering and smoking so it gets worse in the heat of the day."

The fire was contained but that could change quickly, Webb said. "If we get any hot, dry, windy weather there is a possibility it could go across the containment lines. "So that is what we are working hard on over the next 48 hours to make sure we eliminate the fire doing that and that is where all the hard dirty slog comes in."

Volunteers from the mainland have been rallying around the firefighters. Shaan Kingi from Katikati Māori Wardens said when the blaze broke out, they offered their support to whānau on the island. "We got teams together to get bottles of water, chocolates and Up&Gos to make sure the crews had some to snack on," Kingi said.

Matakana Island resident Marlene Samuels said it had been a long week, but fire crews had been working incredibly hard. "That does concern us, these are our family, sons, uncles," Samuels said. "We are concerned for their health and safety but they are doing a good job." She said although the fire was burning near their community, the smoke was not having much of an impact. "We're not that much affected on our side but I understand residents in Otūmoetai are getting more of the smoke than what we are." She said they were grateful for the support that had been offered to the tight-knit community. "We are all family, we are all connected to each other and we care about what happens. "We are just keeping an eye on each other and making sure we are looking after each other."

Fire and Emergency said they were aware of the smoke drifting towards Tauranga City and told residents if they were affected to stay indoors and close windows. Those who needed medical advice were told to contact healthline. Fire crews were expected to be on the island for several more days yet.

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Two Helicopters and Three Rural Fire Crews Battle Matakana Island Blaze

19/12/2020

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Two helicopters, three Fire and Emergency New Zealand ground crew and a couple of bulldozers are involved in the huge efforts to extinguish a large blaze on Matakana Island. A helicopter flew to Matakana Island yesterday to help ground crews on Matakana Island after a fire had jumped a fire break causing a resurgence, six days after the initial blaze. Last Sunday, a large fire on Matakana Island off Tauranga burned for more than 24 hours before it was brought under control.

A Fire and Emergency New Zealand shift manager said two helicopters and three ground crew of rural firefighters were still on the island trying to put out the blaze. Fire fighting resources also included a couple of bulldozers and the ground crews were working on a rational basis because of the conditions they were working in, he said.

A command centre spokesman said they could be on the island for several more days. A number of Bay of Plenty Times reporters earlier said they could see and smell smoke from Welcome Bay and driving over the Tauranga Harbour Bridge.

An Otumoetai resident who lives on Grange Rd said spots of fine ash could be seen swirling from his property. "Like a light snow." He said he first noticed the smell just before 3pm and it was getting "stronger and stronger".

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