Blog Archives

200 Fire Hotspots Found On Matakana Island

29/12/2023

Lake Ōkāreka firefighters work to put out the blaze on Matakana Island on 24 December, 2023.

Firefighters will be working on Matakana Island for days to come after about 200 hotspots were found overnight following a major blaze.

The fire, which broke out on Saturday, burnt through more than 37 hectares of scrub and pine slash. It was contained on Sunday night but 30 firefighters and three helicopters continued to work through to keep it under control with fire breaks.

Incident Controller Jeff Maunder said in some areas the fire was burning underground in the roots of large trees. Drones flying over the area on Tuesday morning had found about 200 hotspots still to be dealt with. "The fire is contained within a secure perimeter, but there are pockets of vegetation and tree stumps that are still smouldering and could reignite if not fully extinguished."

Rural Firefighters Ryan Pryde and Juliska Coetzee from the Eastern Bay Volunteer Fire Brigade at work on Matakana Island.

Resident Hauata Palmer said the fire did not appear to pose a danger to residents. The fire was closer to the side of the island facing the Pacific Ocean, whereas most residents live on the other side, Palmer said. The community was currently not affected by the smoke, because the wind had been blowing the smoke away from the settlements, she said.

Visibility was reduced as Lake Ōkāreka firefighters worked to put out the blaze.

Residents in nearby Tauranga said they had been able to see the fire from the town, and some even felt the smoke drifting over. "There has been smoke and stuff come over and I've had other people complaining about respiratory ailments that, you know, they couldn't hang the washing on the line or had to shut all the windows and turn the air con on," resident Leanne Swinburne said.

Fire crews had been very swift in tackling the blaze, Swinburne said. Boats had been regularly stopping off at the island to drop off firefighters, she said. "I think that everyone's done as much as they could with the resources they have. I mean there's only one fire truck, I believe, on the island itself, they did everything as fast as they could, I don't think there's anything that could've been done any better or faster."

An aerial view of the fire on Matakana Island.

0 Comments

Matakana Island Fire: Firefighters Spending Christmas Away From Families To Contain Blaze

25/12/2023

0 Comments

Firefighting crews who managed to contain a large forestry fire on Matakana Island in the Bay of Plenty will be spending their Christmas back on site to ensure it doesn’t flare up again.

The fire began on Saturday night and burned through about 37ha of scrub and pine slash on the island. Residents described the blaze as a “beast”, like a “taniwha” and “really scary”.

In a statement released last night, Fire and Emergency New Zealand district commander Jeff Maunder said helicopters and monsoon buckets, heavy machinery and fire crews would return to the island this morning “to work on extinguishing the fire”.

There had already been a heavy firefighting presence on site since the fire began and the blaze had largely been extinguished. At least two helicopters, nine fire trucks and 24 crew members were battling the fire on Sunday.

While most of the flammable scrub and slash were already burned, “with the wind continuing to ease, we’re confident of holding the fire contained within its current perimeter”, Maunder said.

The fire crews working today were expected to monitor the fire. “They’ll also be reinforcing our containment lines to further ensure the fire is unable to break out.” Maunder said smoke from the vegetation fire had been drifting across Tauranga and the coast. Ash has also been reported falling in the Gate Pa suburb.

0 Comments

26 Firefighters And Three Helicopters With Monsoon Buckets Fight Matakana Island Blaze

24/12/2023

0 Comments

People are being asked to stay away from Matakana Island and to avoid flying drones in the area. That is the message as firefighters continue to work on containing a fire on Matakana Island near Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty, with extra resources being sent to the island today.

Fire and Emergency District Commander Jeff Maunder said helicopters have to stop operating when drones are near the fireground. He said the immediate aim was to prevent the fire from breaking out into pine forest “and to have it contained by 9pm tonight, when the helicopters will have to stop working”.

As of 1pm today, 26 firefighters and three helicopters with monsoon buckets were working to suppress the fire, while heavy machinery is being used to make firebreaks. The fire has burnt over 30 hectares of forestry and slash. Smoke is also drifting across the harbour towards Tauranga, which has prompted several people to call 111 this afternoon.

While the weather conditions have been mostly favourable for firefighting so far, the sea breeze was causing flare ups this afternoon, Maunder said. “Firefighters will stay on the fireground overnight and more crews will be brought in tomorrow. An incident management team has been activated to direct operations. An investigation into the cause of the fire has also begun.”

Eariler

Like a “taniwha” and really “scary” - that’s how a Rangiwaea and Matakana Island resident has described a large fire that broke out last night. He said helicopters were filling up monsoon buckets. “It was quite scary. There was a big orange glow, and [it was] like a big taniwha.”

Sydney said he was coming home from the town last night when he first saw the glow. “The social media channels on our local community page just went off. It’s close to the airstrip and beach access road. It was horrible - I was just gobsmacked, seeing this big glow.” He said whānau put their dinners aside and their “lives on the line to do the mahi”. It was comforting there was light rain overnight.

“The ground is a little bit damp this morning, but that still wasn’t enough. We are hoping for a heavy rain today.” Sydney said today the community was mobilising to supply kai for the people on the ground and were in their kitchens cooking.

“We’re just about to head back into town shortly to load up on supplies like water and food to keep them going. We will catch a boat and come around on the barge.”

Sydney said the Matakana Fire Brigade was first on the scene last night. He said it was a rerun of a fire in 2020, but that one was smaller. However, this fire was “a beast”. Two helicopters, nine fire trucks and 24 crew members were battling the fire this morning.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand was alerted to the fire at 7.36pm on Saturday. Crews monitored the fire overnight, and this morning firefighting crews from the Tauranga area travelled to the island by barge.

Acting shift manager Ryan Geen said the fire burned over approximately 20 hectares of forestry and slash. “The fire is sporadic throughout the 20 hectares, and we have heavy machinery working on it,” he says. No houses were at risk.

Bree Tregurtha-nairn who lives in Gate Pa said she smelt smoke this morning and “little pieces of ash travelling through the air”. “I noticed there was a bit of ash on my car as well.”

Kaumatua Hauta Palmer said he lived a distance away from the fire behind a big shelter belt but “as far as I’m aware there is no big panic”. “Everyone is talking about it and I don’t think there is any concern. The concern is it may spread...it will impact the people living on the old mill side.”

Earlier
Firefighters from various stations across the Bay of Plenty responded to a large vegetation fire on Matakana Island last night. A helicopter was requested to help battle the blaze. The fire was in the pine forest and was spreading fast. A large plume of smoke was visible from across Tauranga.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand was alerted to a forest fire on Matakana Island near Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty at 7.36pm last night. “We have several crews in attendance at the fire in a forestry block in south Matakana,” Fire and Emergency shift manager Garreth Lewis said last night. “The fire is approximately 300m by 300m, and it’s very visible from the mainland,” he said. “Fire crews will remain on scene overnight to monitor the fire, and we ask people to stay away from the area. “We have multiple crews that will respond to the fire tomorrow morning by barge and a helicopter on scene at first light.”

0 Comments

First Awards Ceremony on our 40th Anniversary

2/12/2023

0 Comments

Today marks our first UFBA, Provincial Fire Brigades Association, Gold Star Association, and Fire and Emergency awards ceremony on our 40th anniversary.

Our brigade and its members have never volunteered for awards or recognition. The only previous ceremony was 11 years ago when we came under the National Rural Fire Authority, and we were issued medals and bars from the Forest and Rural Fire Association, which was organised by the Rotorua District Council. It was a good evening, but we preferred to focus on what mattered, and that was our community. However, when Phil Muldoon stepped down as Chief Fire Officer after 20 years, with a total of 25 years in the brigade, we suggested that it would be good to recognise that commitment and that of our members.

Our brigade is typically modest, but the impact of its service resonates within our community. We have chosen to embody the values of selflessness and dedication without expecting recognition. Today, we break from tradition to express our deep gratitude and appreciation for our members contribution.

Our members commitment to the community is often underplayed, they consistently go above and beyond, whether it's turning up to brigade training nights, responding to emergencies, attending national or international deployments, completing training courses, or performing health and safety checklists.

As we present these awards, let us not forget the commitment of our previous members, our families, and loved ones, who have supported our volunteers behind the scenes. Your sacrifices do not go unnoticed, and today we extend our appreciation to each one of you.

To our volunteer firefighters, thank you for your humility, your dedication, and for embodying the true spirit of community service. Here's to many more years of quietly making a difference.

0 Comments