Extreme fire danger in the Taupō District

Three fires in three days have prompted Taupō Rural Fire Authority to warn of the dangers of the prolonged heat and high winds.

The fire danger in the Taupō District was bumped up to extreme on Sunday as a fire tore through a hay barn in Whakamaru, destroying 100 round hay bales and the shed that housed them. The fire was on Paritaniwha Road off State Highway 32 at 3pm, and took 18 hours to fully extinguish.

Principal rural fire officer Phil Parker said the fire was the first of three that kept volunteer firefighters and the Fire Service busy. The second fire came on Monday night at Waipunga in western Hawke's Bay, where a deliberately-lit fire wiped out a 40-metre square patch of scrub.

The third fire on Tuesday at 12.30pm on Rapids Road in Aratiatia was caused by a downed powerline, and burned two hectares of grass. The fire took Taupō Volunteer Rural Fire Force and the Fire Service two hours to extinguish.

Mr Parker said it was important to remain vigilant while grass and vegetation was tinder dry. No rain is forecast in at least the next 10 days so it's pretty dire, he said. It's vital any suspicious smoke is immediately reported to emergency services by calling 111.

Taupō District Council would not be issuing permits for open fires in rural areas until conditions had improved, he said. He encouraged the community to exercise extreme caution when dealing with fire or potential ignition sources. Even something small such as disposing of a cigarette butt can put our district at risk so where possible people should avoid lighting fires altogether.