November 25, 2008

Firefighters continued to dampen hot-spots today in a fire that has damaged 140 hectares of conservation land in Northland.
The deliberately lit fire burned perilously close to homes at Ngawha Village after it first ignited last Wednesday about 7pm. Nearly 62ha were damaged but flare-ups on Friday saw the blaze destroy about 80ha more.
Department of Conservation spokesman Adrian Walker said the perimeter of the fire had been secured and had not spread through a pine plantation.
A helicopter remained on standby and a team of 30-plus worked in high winds yesterday. They were expected to remain there today. Some overnight rain had done little to help teams working across the rough landscape.
Mr Walker said the area was covered in highly flammable vegetation including manuka, bracken and rushes. The fire had gone deep into the peat ground and was proving to be hard to extinguish.
'The ground is pretty broken and rough with tight scrub and lots of gum holes,' Mr Walker said. 'Locals will see some smoke from time to time but it won't be a danger to them.'
The fire also damaged fibre optic cables at the Top Energy's Ngawha Geothermal Power Station, about 7km north-east of Kaikohe, forcing its closure for a few days. Top Energy chief Roger de Bray said he expected the station to be back at full capacity tomorrow.